CONOR Hourihane’s Barnsley opened their League One campaign with a 3-1 win at Plymouth despite being reduced to 10 players just after the hour.
Barnsley had an early shock when Argyle had the ball in the back of the net, through makeshift striker Caleb Watts, after five minutes. The debutant’s deft strike was ruled out for a foul on a Barnsley defender.
Barnsley responded by taking the lead from skipper Luca Connell’s pacey 13th minute free kick from the left.
The ball swept across the face of Argyle’s goal, hit defensive midfielder Brendan Wiredu, running in at the far post, and flew in past new greens keeper Luca Ashby-Hammond.
The goal was a huge lift to Barnsley – playing in all white – and their travelling supporters.
Argyle’s exciting winger Bali Mumba forced a superb full length save from Murphy Cooper with an angled shot on the run from just outside the box.
Cooper just got enough glove on to the ball to tip it around his post.
The Barnsley number one was then first to a loose ball as Argyle again tried to put in Watts on goal and also made a brave save to collect Amaechi’s free kick under pressure.
Argyle kept pressing for a leveller and Matty Sorinola went close with a free kick from wide on the left that just scrapped over Cooper’s crossbar at the far post.
Barnsley’s Adam Phllips scored a brilliant 30th minute volley to put his side two ahead as Argyle failed to clear a corner.
Marc Roberts stayed up to assist the Barnsley attack, and the ball eventually was smashed into the Argyle area.
Plymouth skipper for the day Victor Palsson looped a hopeful header up… to Phillips, who let fly with a first time text book volley.
Phillips’ thundering strike gave diving Ashby-Hammond no chance as it flew into the top corner from the right angle of the penalty area.
Cooper made another brilliant reaction save, just under his bar, to deny Watts on 40 minutes as the lively forward headed Kornel Szucs’ cross from the left goalwards.
Argyle’s new boss Tom Cleverley introduced attacker Jamie Paterson for defensive midfielder Wiredu at half time.
There was little the Barnsley keeper could do to prevent Watts hammering in from close range in the 50th minute as Palsson looped another header up in the air, this time on the attack.
Caylan Vickers 56th minute speculative strike from range was saved by Ashby-Hammond.
Central defender Jack Shepherd – cautioned in the first half – received a second yellow for handball in the 63rd and saw red.
Sorinola’s free kick, right on the edge of the box, flew inches over as Plymouth pressed for a leveller.
Conor Hourihane introduced central defender Jonathan Russell for McGoldrick on 68 minutes as a part of a double substitution, which saw Patrick Kelly replace Kaylan Vickers.
Phillips put Jonathan Bland in on goal with a defence splitting-pass but the Barnsley sub’s shot was saved by Ashby-Hammond.
A minute later Davis Keillor-Dunn latched on to a clearance from keeper Cooper and slotted home Barnsley’s third in front of their 888 travelling supporters in the away stand.
