Barnsley's clearer method comes up trumps in tight derby win over Sheffield Wednesday

The veteran manager's half-time change from 4-1-4-1 to 3-5-2 improved his side greatly, but it also betrayed his uncertainty about how to get the best out of a group of players he is stuck with until the January transfer window.

Ismael arrived in England with a clear mind, and his 3-4-3 bore fruit from the start. All the Reds' seven wins this season have come since he took over in late October.

You could not say Barnsley were comfortably better than bottom-of-the-table Wednesday, fortunate to see Joey Pelupessy's long-range strike bounce to safety, but they got the job done.

The hosts made an excellent start at Hillsborough and gave themselves an early goal to defend but, as the league table says, Barnsley are the better side at the moment.

Hesitant goalkeeping was to blame for both side's opening goals, with sharp centre-forwards taking advantage.

Barry Bannan's passing was of its usual high quality and he looked to go long quickly when he could release attacking players.

That was precisely what he did in the fourth minute. Jack Walton rushed off his line and wary he was approaching the edge of the penalty area and perhaps mindful a foul would lead to a red card, he managed to jump over the ball and allow Josh Windass an empty net to aim at.

Barnsley took a while to settle into the game but once they did, they put the deficit to the back of their heads, and Cauley Woodrow's equaliser only his second Championship goal from open play this season – was merited.

A couple of minutes earlier he had a poked effort, then a header from Martin Brittain's thumped cross deflected wide, but there was no one between him and the ball after Joe Wildsmith was stranded by Mads Andersen's flick-on from a Matty James corner, and he had an easy task to head home.

The game then settled into a pattern with Barnsley seeing more of the ball in Wednesday territory and the Owls, with Dominic Iorfa shielding debutant Chey Dunkley in a 4-1-4-1 formation, were happy to let them, content it was not producing any real work for Wildsmith.

That changed in the 48th minute when Brittain played the ball into Conor Chaplin, whose lovely pass released Dominik Frieser to nutmeg the goalkeeper one-on-one. It felt like Chaplin's punch of the air was as much about the quality of the goal and his part in it as the importance, and if it was, it deserved to be.

Kadeem Harris moved to centre-forward at half-time and looked good there. As with debutant Chey Dunkley, who won a header in the opening seconds, it looks like an option could have emerged there.

Harris forced a good save two minutes into his new job, and Windass worked Walton quickly afterwards as Wednesday had the better of the second period. Bannan screamed in frustration when he put a shot over.

Barnsley weathered the initial storm and Woodrow forced a good low save from Wildsmith, then Callum Styles had a horrendous miss after bursting through and getting the ball back from Luke Thomas yards out.

Pelupessy, who came on at half-time, ought to have equalised but when Walton tipped his thumping shot onto the post it hit the goalkeeper, then the frame of the goal again.

That was as good as it got for Wednesday, whose shape changed again as they threw bodies forward in the desperation stages, with even Tom Lees joining the attack.

Barnsley know what they are doing and although results have fluctuated, they stick to it. Wednesday are flailing around as results flatline.

Sheffield Wednesday: Wildsmith; Odubajo, Lees, Iorfa (Rhodes 84), Dunkley (Palmer 65), van Aken (Pelupessy 46); Harris, Paterson (Brown 84), Bannan, Reach; Windass.

Unused substitutes: Penney, Dele-Bashiru, Dawson, Hunt, Kachunga.

Barnsley: Walton; Sollbauer, Halme, Andersen; Brittain, James (Kane 67), Mowatt (Palmer 90), Styles; Frieser (Thomas 67), Woodrow (Miller 86), Chaplin (Adeboyejo 67).

Unused substitutes: Schmidt, Oduor, Helik, Collins.

Referee: J Linnington (Isle of Wight).

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