Peterborough United 1 Barnsley 3: Darrell Clarke sees improvement in Reds' end product

Barnsley boss Darrell Clarke acknowledged that his team still have a lot of hard work to do despite ending 2024 with a hugely impressive 3-1 win at 10-man Peterborough.

The Tykes notched a deserved eighth away win of the campaign, one which leaves them just a point and a place outside the League One play-off zone.

Clarke said: “It was a good performance. We were in control for the first 30 minutes, but we were lacking that end product.

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“In the second half we regrouped, and that was needed because at half-time it was important that I got the message over to the players.

Smart finish: American defender ​Donovan Pines netted in Barnsley’s 3-1 win at Peterborough United yesterday.Smart finish: American defender ​Donovan Pines netted in Barnsley’s 3-1 win at Peterborough United yesterday.
Smart finish: American defender ​Donovan Pines netted in Barnsley’s 3-1 win at Peterborough United yesterday.

“We then produce two quality finishes to go two up soon after half-time, and that gave us a nice cushion.

“At 2-0 we then let them back in it, though, and I wasn’t happy about that. We just seemed to ease off a bit.

“We did go on and get a third, but I’ve told the players previously that we do need to be more ruthless and not take out foot off the gas when we’re in front.

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“We’ve lost some silly points because of that. We know there’s still a lot of work to do, mentally and physically. We’re creating opportunities which is good, but we have to make sure that we’re not loose at the same time.”

After a goalless first half, two strikes in eight minutes shortly after the restart handed Barnsley the initiative.

Donovan Pines broke the deadlock, firing home on the turn, before Davis Keillor-Dunn doubled the visitors’ advantage when he smashed home clinically. Posh reduced the arrears from the spot through Malik Mothersille, but their cause was not helped soon after when Harley Mills was shown a red card after a challenge on Corey O’Keeffe.

Jon Russell curled home Barnsley’s third late on, condemning Peterborough to a troubling sixth defeat in seven League One games.

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Peterborough: Bilokapic, Katongo (Curtis 58), Wallin, Fernandez, Sparkes (Mills 58), Kyprianou, Collins, De Havilland (Hayes 58), Conn-Clarke (Odoh 84), Jones, Mothersille. Unused substitutes: Blackmore, O'Brien-Brady, Ihionvien.

Barnsley: Killip, Durand de Gevigney, Pines, McCarthy, O'Keeffe, Phillips (Nwakali 75), Connell, Russell, Cotter (Gent 75), Watters (Cosgrove 62), Keillor-Dunn (Marsh 90). Unused substitutes: Smith, Lofthouse, Yoganathan.

Referee: A Chilowicz (USA).

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