Barnsley 1 - 1 Doncaster Rovers: Spoils shared in draw

Posted Wednesday, December 03, 2014 by PA

Barnsley and Doncaster could not be separated as the South Yorkshire derby spoils were shared after an entertaining 1-1 draw at Oakwell.

The Reds, who are searching for consistency on their own turf having been beaten by Scunthorpe at the weekend, flew into an early lead, but flattered to deceive for much of the game afterwards.

Instead it was Rovers, brought level in the second period through Theo Robinson, who will claim to have done enough to deserve the three points over the 90 minutes, with Barnsley goalkeeper Ross Turnbull putting in a man-of-the-match performance against his former club.

The visitors had plenty of work to do, though, as they found themselves a goal down in just the fifth minute when some slapdash marking allowed Lewin Nyatanga a free header from Conor Hourihane's corner and he powered past Sam Johnstone.

Rovers' response was spirited and could have put Barnsley to the sword in the first period had it not been for the heroics of Turnbull, who made five top-class saves, the best of which came from Robinson's low effort and Kyle Bennett's curling shot.

But there was nothing the former Chelsea keeper could do to deny a deserved leveller seven minutes after the break. A fine team move saw Richie Wellens' cross blocked but Robinson was on hand to sweep home a loose ball for his third of the season.

Robinson continued to look the most threatening for Rovers and had the chance to win it in the final 10 minutes but he prodded straight at Turnbull as both sides remain level on points in mid-table.