Barnsley v Manchester United | Barnsley FC | Barnsley team news | Barnsley Football Club

The label of 'Scum' seems to be a tag well earned as the Manchester United fans wreck the away end and scare the girls working in there, needless to say that was very big of them!

The match could well have been won by the reds (the more graceful ones from Barnsley that is!) had we taken some of the vast numbers of chances we created against a mainly second string Man United side.

The first thing that sprung to mind was the initial lack of much atmosphere/noise coming from our fans, perhaps because every second 'Barnsley' fan was a person who had bought a ticket to see Manchester United?, but it game started rather surprisingly to myself with a lot of noise from the fans of Manchester United, and this almost took the voice from the Barnsley crowd early on. And my initial hopes of the crowd being like a 12th man was initially thwarted. But as the reds gave something to cheer about this changed as more and more the team was encouraged in its endeavors.

The difference between the two sides was finished prowess, as we laboured to get the ball in the back of the net, the away side had less chances to do so, but took those chances when it came down to it. Our creation and drive was excellent at times, and if felt that we were just always so close to getting back into it, but that is perhaps what a team like Manchester United can do to you, frustration wise?

The grumpy Scotsman had made 11 changes from the emphatic defeat by Liverpool on Sunday and they went ahead when Anderson's corner was headed in by Danny Welbeck.

Barnsley went close when Daniel Bogdanovic hit the post, but Michael Owen's expert finish doubled the lead.

Gary Neville was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Adam Hammill, but Barnsley could find no way through.

They had enough chances to get back on level terms, but some profligate finishing cost them any chance of a famous upset at Oakwell.

The match was marred by crowd trouble and South Yorkshire police said 10 fans were arrested.

Eight catering staff were trapped inside a food kiosk and had to barricade themselves in a store room for about 25 minutes as fans broke in and stole cash from the till and food from the shelves.

Stewards on the pitch also had objects thrown at them.

The game itself was the perfect opportunity for Ferguson to give some of his senior players who have not been playing regularly in the first team some much-needed competitive football.

Neville and Wes Brown came into the defence, Anderson was brought into the midfield and Owen started only his fifth game for the club, while Gabriel Obertan made his first start since a £3m summer move from Bordeaux.

Much of the pre-match talk had been about Ferguson coming up against Barnsley boss Mark Robins, the man credited with saving his job when he scored for United in the 1990 FA Cup third round tie at Nottingham Forest.

Ferguson's side had a dominant opening spell as Welbeck thumped home a header with only six minutes on the clock.

It could quickly have got worse as both Welbeck and Obertan forced great stops from Luke Steele.

Barnsley were initially guilty of giving United too much respect, but we soon improved as Bogdanovic nodded against a post then Stephen Foster twice headed off target from good positions as United failed to deal with corners everytime, we had them rattled at every set piece as everyone ended in a good chance gone begging for the tykes.

We were beginning to look like the better side, but for the predatory finishing instincts of master goal-scorer Owen, looking to have made it too hard to get anything out of the game for the reds.

He sliced one effort wide early in the second half, but made us pay with a well taken solo goal on the hour mark.

Owen rolled back the years as he picked the ball up outside the Barnsley area, slipped it through a defender's legs and surprised Steele by taking his shot early, rolling it into the far corner from 16 yards.

United were not quite home and dry as captain Neville - to his absolute horror - was shown a straight red card by referee Chris Foy for a tackle on Hammill.

Neville had won the ball in the initial challenge, but Foy ruled the follow through in which he caught Hammill just below the knee on his right leg constituted serious foul play.

The dismissal gave Barnsley and their supporters a lift just when they least expected it, but despite creating a catalogue of chances they could not put the ball in the net to set up a big finish.

Substitute Iain Hume headed wide moments after coming on, Bogdanovic shot wide from 12 yards, and then Anderson de Silva headed off target with the goal at his mercy from four yards. So, if on a better day the chances had been taken, then we could have been progressing.

Barnsley manager Mark Robins: Listen

"I'm disappointed. We must have had between 15 and 17 efforts on goal, but when you don't take one of them you don't deserve to win the game.

"I think we paid them too much respect at the start of the game, we were lacking a bit of belief at times.

"But not many teams will create that many chances against Man United."

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:
"Michael has got great feet, so quick, and it was a marvellous finish. I'd say it was a great goal.

"Barnsley worked hard and put a lot of effort in, they had some chances too, but we probably deserved to progress."

On Gary Neville's red card, he added: "He followed through, in the current climate you can see why it's given."

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