Wycombe maintained their unbeaten run and extended it to six games after drawing 2-2 with Barnsley at Oakwell. But there will be some disappointment that they didn’t taken all three points in South Yorkshire.
The first half was largely dictated by moments as Barnsley applied pressure on the Chairboys with some slick passing moves. And within three minutes the host thought they had taken the lead after Sam Cosgrove turned a shot past Franco Ravizzoli. Thankfully for the Blues, he was adjudged to have been offside. But the Tykes continued with their momentum and through Davis Keillor-Dunn had an effort deflected narrowly wide. But thereafter, Wycombe grew into the game and started to contain their hosts, much to the frustration of the home crowd.
Josh Scowen was the epitome of the attacks as his energetic bursts into the Barnsley half allowed the Blues to progress further up the pitch. He first delivered a quick cross into the box which had to be gathered by Barnsley’s goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina. And he delivered Wycombe’s best chance of the half when a cleverly worked corner by Aaron Morley saw Scowen work himself into the box with some cute touches before lashing a shot on goal, only to see it blocked.
The second half however is when the game really came to life. Wycombe took the game to Barnsley and were rewarded immediately. Good wing play by Daniel Harvie and then Kieran Sadlier saw a lofted cross from Sadlier aimed at the back post. Bez Lubala was superbly placed to calmly place a shot past Slonina and give the Chairboys the lead. This woke the hosts who immediately reacted with some direct attacks. And from one such attack, the ball landed to Luca Connell who’s volley stroke Franco Ravizzoli’s post. Three minutes later, Barnsley’s Mael De Gevigney made a darting run from his half into the box. Alongside a chasing Dan Harvie in the box, De Gevigney went down. But thankfully referee Ross Joyce took a dim view and waved play on.
Despite the resolute Wycombe backline efforts, Barnsley soon equalised courtesy of substitute Stephen Humphreys. Humphrys ran down the Wycombe right before turning inside the area and placing a firm shot past Franco Ravizzoli. The game then became a real end to end action game with both sides looking to out do the other. Matt Bloomfield introduced Garath McCleary and Fred Onyedinma for Kieran Sadlier and Bez Lubala to provide some much needed energy. With the heavens breaking and the game entering the last 15 minutes, Wycombe introduced Richard Kone and Cameron Humphreys for Dan Udoh and Tyreeq Bakinson.
It was at this point that we started to see the game stretch. First Barnsley sub Fabio Jalo reacted quickest to a loose ball and took aim at Ravizzoli’s goal. But the ever alert Dan Harvie deflected his effort for a corner. Moments later, Wycombe countered and gained a corner themselves. This time Dan Harvie delivered a corner which reached Joe Low at the back post. Low headed it across goal and McCleary saw his effort blocked on the line. But moments later, Richard Kone was rewarded after his quick thinking down the left hand side earned him and Wycombe the lead again. Kone took on his full back before pulling it into the direction of Caleb Taylor. Taylor could only place his effort against the cross bar and in a mad scramble the ball landed with Joe Low who calmly passed back to Kone in the box. Kone’s first effort was blocked before rebounding back to the striker to go again. This time there was no mistake and Kone gave Wycombe the lead.
Immediately after from a kick off, Barnsley got themselves quickly into the Wycombe half and with a ball whipped into the box, Luca Connell looked to have equalised for the Tykes. But Franco Ravizzoli threw himself and pushed the effort for a corner. From the subsequent corner, Josh Benson would this time get thwarted by Ravizzoli. But on the rebound, Mark Roberts peeled off at the box post and shoot past the despairing Ravizzoli and give Barnsley an equaliser.
With six minutes of added time, Barnsley applied some intense pressure on the Chairboys. But the Blues held firm despite some persistent corner routines. On the balance of play, the Chairboys will be pleased to have taken a point from the game. Inevitably they will wonder what could have been if they had managed moments better.
