Report: Leicester City 1-0 Barnsley
Written by Mark Stokes on Saturday 22nd August 2009

It turned out to be a hugely disappointing afternoon with Barnsley persisting with just one man, Andy Gray, up front. Only once did Chris Weale have to make a save from Martin Devaney. For all of the possession Barnsley enjoyed in the game they could not find the final ball to put Leicester under pressure and the Foxes looked much better in attack.

A few hundred Barnsley fans made the trip to Leicester to see a vastly different side from Tuesday night with El Haimour, Devaney back in the starting lineup with Emil Hallfredsson and Andy Gray making their Barnsley debuts.

Leicester made just the one change with new signing Paul Gallagher starting his first game for the Foxes.

Leicester won the first free kick 30 yards from goal in the first minute, but not before the linesman had a quick flag change. El Haimour easily cleared the free kick.

Barnsley had plenty of possession in the opening five minutes and flirted around the 18 yard area but could not get any shots off.

Barnsley again threatened on ten minutes with De Silva and Campbell-Ryce around the box, but again Leicester were able to clear.

Barnsley worked well to hold onto possession with Hallfredsson doing well to win the ball back and De Silva managed to get a long range shot away that was a few feet high.

A Leicester free kick on 14 minutes led to Matt Oakley shooting high over the bar from distance.

A Barnsley free kick 35 yards out taken by Iain Hume was headed out for a corner and then Foster got a head on the ball just firing over the bar.

The Reds had an scare when Berner put a ball into the box, but it was just too much for N'Guessan to reach.

A sliced attempted clearance from Hallfredsson ended going backwards and put Barnsley in all sorts of trouble and Lloyd Dyer's strike went narrowly past the far post. Had a Leicester player been at the back post that would have been a goal for sure with 21 minutes gone.

A early substitution for Bobby Hassell who must have been injured was made with Rob Kozluk coming on with just half of the first half gone.

With half an hour gone neither side had broken the deadlock. The play was mainly in the midfield area with both defences doing their job well, which made for a game lacking in real joy for either set of supporters.

Martin Devaney had the first shot that required good goalkeeping when he shot from 20 yards out and had to parry the ball away for a corner.

A minute later and Richie Wellens put a ball over the top of the Barnsley defence and Matty Fryatt was one on one to score, but somehow conspired to hit it over.

Fryatt was again steaming in with Darren Moore intervening and putting it out for a corner. Gallagher's corner was cleared by Kozluk but came back in and Leicester got a second corner which Barnsley cleared.

In the dying seconds of the first half Fryatt tested Steele again who had to push it out for a corner with Moore getting hurt, but he would only be a few minutes away from another pain killing injection.

Matty Fryatt steamed into the box without challenge until Foster at last made a challenge for a Leicester corner at the very start of the second half.

Barnsley had the luck of the linesman when Matty Fryatt looked to be going clear of the tumbling Moore, but the linesman flagged for a Reds free kick as the Leicester player looked to be heading on goal clear.

On 50 minutes Hallfredsson had a great strike from 40 yards out and just went over the bar. Not a bad range-finder from the ex-Reginna player.

Barnsley rode their luck again when Steele had to make a great reaction save falling to Fryatt whose shot was blocked by De Silva, but that luck ran out a minute later when Fryatt brought the ball down in the box and made no mistake smashing the ball into the back of the net on 53 minutes.

There was a sense that Barnsley were playing for a goaless draw, but Leicester had only a win in mind and the Barnsley defence handed the goal to Fryatt on a plate.

With Iain Hume spending so much time in his own defensive area and Andy Gray isolated up front Barnsley looked to be struggling to create chances.

Leicester were certainly bouyed by the goal and made all running in the Barnsley half. Luke Steele at one stage fumbling for the ball with players around him.

Hobbs was close on 59 minutes from a corner just getting it into the side netting.

Hallfredsson played a great ball to Devaney on the edge of the box unmarked, but his shot was blocked and the danger quickly dissipated.

Lloyd Dyer was next in line for a shot with a diving Stephen Foster blocking the shot. Barnsley didn't seem to know where to go and how to get back into the game.

With 63 minutes gone JCR played Gray in who should have scored, but the ball deflected to Hume who was off-side and he ballooned his shot over before he knew the lineman had a flag off.

Such was the lack of options Kozluk took the ball forward towards the area and shot high over the bar.

Paul Gallagher was close on 68 minutes to score a killer goal forcing Steele into a save parrying over the bar for a Leicester corner.

Three minutes later N'Guessan's shot struck the crossbar, the linesman thinking Steele got fingertips to and flagged for a corner. Barnsley were living dangerously.

A double substitution with Macken and Hammill entering the fray and a return to 4-4-2 was Davey's last throw of the dice.

On 78 minutes Hammill in the box passes sideways to Kozluk who attempts another strike on goal going over the bar. Not a good sign that the right back for the day was making the shots for Barnsley.

N'Guessan took advantage of pace over Darren Moore to win a free kick on the right hand side of the box. Moore clearly was suffering from his injured foot but managed to clear the free kick.

A complete mess in the Barnsley box with De Silva and El Haimour desperately trying to get the ball away and were close to conceding a penalty.

Despite all the players in, Simon Davey has his work cut out in moulding the team into be better in attack for Tuesday night at Reading with Barnsley propping up the Championship.

Goals:

Scorer: Fryatt (53)

Attendance: 21,799 (835 away)

LEICESTER CITY: Weale, Neilson, Brown, Oakley, Dyer (Adams 65), Fryatt (Dickov 87), Berner, N'Guessan, Wellens, Gallagher (King 81), Hobbs.
Subs: Morrison, Tunchev, Gradel, Logan.

BARNSLEY: Steele, Hassell (Kozluk 22), Foster, Moore, El Haimour, Devaney (Hammill 73), Hallfredsson, Anderson, Campbell-Ryce, Hume (Macken 73), Gray.
Subs: Preece, Odejayi, Butterfield, Potter.

Visit the new Barnsley Player service, which works on PC and Mac, Barnsley Player.