BARNSLEY 1 CITY 0
League Cup 4th Round
2nd December 1981
Attendance 33,792
Scorer Aylott(52)
ref H Taylor
City Corrigan, Ranson, McDonald, Reid, Bond, Caton, Tueart, Boyer, Hartford, Hutchison, Reeves – sub O’Neill(unused)
Barnsley Horn, Joyce, Chambers, Glavin, Banks, McCarthy, Evans, Riley, Aylott, McHale, Barrowclough
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PATRICK BARCLAY WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN 3RD DECEMBER 1981
Barnsley maintained their splendid progress under Norman Hunters management by reaching the fifth round of the League Cup for the first time when they added Manchester City to their list of First Division conquests before a raucous full house at Oakwell last night.
Almost inevitably it was a tense. excessively physical match, but only the most rigid purist could complain about lack of entertainment and even then he could take consolation from the fact that the goal which settled it. a header by Aylott early in the second half, came by virtue of the subtle skills of the highly promising young Banks.
That oasis of a move apart. Barnsley did not reach the heights of sustained quality they had displayed against Swansea and Brighton in earlier rounds. but this was largely the responsibility of City whose deterrmlnation to match the Second Division team in application and vigour was never in question.
Four City players, Ranson, Reid, McDonald and Hartford were among the six cautioned on a night when high stakes and the atmosphere created by the all-ticket crowd of nearly 34,000 often induced too much zeal.
Though City obviously missed Francis, who is in hospital for a manipulative operation on a thigh, it could be argued that his sometimes fragile talents were well out of it.
Relentless tacklin and covering by defences, in Which McCarthy and Kevin Bond were outstanding, reduced chances to a minimum in the first half. Reeves missing perhaps the best when he pulled his shot wide from 10 yards.
The second half was rather more open, however, even before the goal, and Hutchison went desperately close to scoring for City a minute after the interval. Cleverly changing pace and direction. he struck a splendid drive against the inside of the angle.
six minutes later Banks began the move that was to settle the tie. The feeling had always been that Barnsley’s hopes of scoring rested on this clever player, and when he exploded upon the match City were suddenly in truuble. He passed to Riley, who in turn
sent Banks down the right, from where his superbly weighted far post cross found Aylott, who headed firmly wide of Corrigan.
City fought determinedly for an equaliser, and in the end Barnsley were glad of two excellent saves by their goalkeeper Horn, who denied McDonald and Bond within a minute. But Barnsley thoroughly deserved a result which will be seen as a Cup shock only by those who have not had the pleasure of enjoying their performances this season.