Analysis of Barnsley's 3-1 win over neighbours Huddersfield Town at Oakwell on Saturday.

They were 2-0 up at half-time with goals either side of a red card for Terriers goalkeeper Owen Goodman. The Reds scored again late on before conceding, with Davis Keillor-Dunn on the scoresheet twice and Luca Connell once.

EXCELLENT WIN FINISHES POSITIVE FIRST MONTH

THE LAST time Huddersfield visited Oakwell, and won 2-1 in February, many of the home fans sang for the owners to ‘get out of our club’ and that ‘Barnsley FC is in the wrong hands’.

The Reds had taken one point from six games under Darrell Clarke who would be sacked within weeks and replaced by Conor Hourihane who was alongside him in the dugout that day as coach.

Fast forward just over six months and Hourihane, now head coach, secured an excellent win over the Terriers then applauded all three home sides of a far happier Oakwell.

The anti-owner sentiment, while maybe not totally eradicated, is certainly less prevalent on the terraces after a tremendous start to the season under the beloved Irishman and his likeable, talented team.

The Reds have taken 13 points from six league games, despite a hectic eight-game month with a shallow squad, while they are unbeaten at home in five games in all competitions.

They have bounced back from the only loss of the season at Wimbledon with two Yorkshire derby wins over Rotherham and Huddersfield while the daunting-looking home clashes with Bolton and the Terriers have brought four points.

Huddersfield were second, having won four out of five with four clean sheets – while a changed team won in the cup at Premier League Sunderland four days earlier. The Terriers have a much bigger squad of players with plenty of experience in the top two divisions, while they had won their last five games against Barnsley.

They were backed by a very loud away end of almost 5,000 but the Reds also had strong support from fans who got behind their team again and targeted former Barnsley midfielder Herbie Kane who is now with Huddersfield.

Barnsley will now have some time off during a two-week break before their next game, a well-earned breather for a group that have enjoyed a better start than anyone realistically expected.

REDS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LUCK

There is no doubt Barnsley benefited from some luck in this match, but they earned it with a good performance and took advantage of it by seeing the win out well.

Most goalkeepers will not have a horrorshow like the one Owen Goodman experienced.

The highly-rated Crystal Palace loanee, who had only conceded in one of his previous five games, looked on-edge from the opening moments when he spilled a Luca Connell shot then made a good rebound save from the offside Keillor-Dunn. Soon after, he inexplicably dropped Nathanael Ogbeta’s cross straight to Keillor-Dunn who fired in the ninth-minute opener from close range.

Huddersfield then had a good spell and looked like getting back in the game but Goodman rushed out of his box on 36 minutes and took out David McGoldrick with a high and reckless challenge, which brought a red card.

Huddersfield had been coming back into the game before the dismissal but, playing an hour with ten men, they had a mountain to climb which grew substantially when the Reds scored a second on 45 minutes.

After a left-wing corner was cleared to him, Connell’s 20-yard shot took a big deflection off Sean Roughan and bobbled into the bottom right corner with substitute goalkeeper Lee Nicholls scrambling forlornly across his line having been wrong-footed.

It was Connell’s first goal since a clever free-kick at Burton Albion last September and his second ever at Oakwell, with the other also being a deflected shot at home to Mansfield on the first day of last season.

KEILLOR-DUNN BACK TO BEST UP FRONT

Davis Keillor-Dunn, who has been playing mainly on the left wing this season, was back up front after swapping positions with McGoldrick. Hourihane said he felt he had not been getting the best out of last season’s top-scorer in the wide role.

Playing up front suited him far better as he scored with two opportunist striker's finishes from just a few yards out. They were the kind of goals that Allan ‘Sniffer’ Clarke, the former England striker and Barnsley player/coach who was a guest at this game, built his top level career on.

It was smart coaching and man-management from Hourihane and good striker play from Keillor-Dunn who, after scoring so many more difficult goals last season, showed what a well-rounded player he is as he moved onto four for this season.

It was certainly an upgrade on Huddersfield’s last visit when Clement Rodrigues led the line up front and Josiah Dyer came off the bench late on for his only Reds league appearance.

DEFENCE IMPRESSES BAR LATE BLEMISH

The last time Barnsley were 2-0 up at half-time at Oakwell against an opponent with ten men, they were taken to extra-time in the FA Cup by League Two Barrow before fortunately winning.

This time they managed the game well as, although Huddersfield applied a lot of pressure in the second half, they did not create any real chances against a solid Barnsley defence.

It was a performance that deserved a clean sheet but Ogbeta’s poor back pass allowed Joe Taylor – a January signing for a reported £3million who came off the bench – to round Murphy Cooper and score on 88 minutes.

Hourihane was clearly frustrated about that post-match and said he would be thinking about it during the two-week break before the next game. But they can take a lot of positives from the defensive performance.

Josh Earl was sloppy on the ball early on but got away with it then was dominant in the second half while his fellow centre-back Jack Shepherd made 11 clearances and one vital block in his area.

Tennai Watson was solid at right-back on his full home league debut, making seven clearances and the most tackles while he completed 95 per cent of his passes. In possession, he often formed a back three with Shepherd and Earl while left-back Ogbeta was far more attacking – often the further Reds player forward.

Connell also made 95 per cent of his passes and, other than when he lost the ball in a dangerous position early on, gave a captain’s performance. He was partnered in a holding midfield two by Jono Bland who replaced Patrick Kelly as Hourihane said he wanted a more disciplined midfield. Bland again performed well including a crucial tackle in his box at 1-0.

They played a 4-2-3-1 formation, to match Huddersfield, with Caylan Vickers and Adam Phillips joining McGoldrick in a highly-skilled attacking midfield three. The introduction of Kelly and Neil Farrugia on 70 minutes seemed to end a spell of Huddersfield pressure and give the Reds more dynamism going forward.

END OF WINDOW COULD DEFINE SEASON

The conclusion of this summer transfer window, which closes at 7pm on Monday, could be vital for Barnsley’s season.

They are very keen to add more depth in central defence and the forward line, while hoping to keep hold of star players like Keillor-Dunn, Phillips and Connell.

Barnsley have been operating on a restrained budget all window but are pleased with the seven recruits so far, many of whom look like excellent business. They will look to make some more canny moves to add vital depth in weaker areas.

As for keeping key players, they have been expected to sell all summer since chairman Neerav Parekh said they would. But, with time running out and no club hitting their valuation as of Saturday, any of the regular starters leaving would be a major blow with a lot of pressure on the replacement.

The Reds are keen to move on Kelechi Nwakali but the future of Jon Russell is unclear after he was an unused substitute for what could have been his 100th Barnsley game, while he is due to travel across the world then link up with Jamaica to prepare for a game on Friday. If they keep their star men and add some depth, they could be well in the promotion mix this season.