Analysis of Barnsley's 3-2 home win over Reading. Josh Earl headed them in front then, after an equaliser, Davis Keillor-Dunn and Adam Phillips put them in control before another Royals strike.

MOST POINTS AFTER 7 SINCE 1996

THIS deserved win meant Barnsley now have the most points after seven games of a season, with 16, since the 1996/97 campaign under Danny Wilson on their way to the Premiership.

It was during that run that they last beat Reading at home in a league match, followed by a League Cup win in 1998 after which the Royals were unbeaten in 12 visits with six consecutive draws.

It all adds to the feeling that the Reds could be onto something special this season, as does another good performance.

Of course, it is only the very start of the season but, after a tough couple of years, Reds fans deserve to get excited while certainly the future looks bright under Conor Hourihane.

For now, they will just look to ride this wave as long as they can.

They have a free week to work on things in training before visiting lowly Blackpool on Saturday.

Barnsley’s longest active winless streak at home to any club is now against Aston Villa who are unbeaten in their ten games at Oakwell.

BARNSLEY PLAY SOME GREAT STUFF

Barnsley played some excellent football, especially early on in each half.

They put together impressive moves which they had clearly worked hard on in training - involving fluid combinations between forwards, midfielders and full-backs.

They opened the scoring with a set piece goal then the moves for the other two were high-class.

They also pressed well, winning the ball in good positions.

Both halves then calmed down, with Reading pulling goals back, but the Reds seemed in control of the game for most of it.

Hourihane said his side were flat which seemed harsh but shows the high standards which are driving them forward. Reading were 20th with five points from six games. But they had drawn at Wycombe and Bolton then beat Port Vale in their previous league game.

REDS STAY UNBEATEN AT HOME

Barnsley have now beaten Burton Albion, Huddersfield Town and Reading in home league games, scoring three times in each, and they have also won two cup ties at Oakwell.

If it had not been for Vimal Yoganathan’s red card when they led Bolton, they might have won six out of six in all competitions on their own turf this season.

They are already halfway to their total of six home league wins last season, after four of 23 matches.

They now host Premier League Brighton in the cup but their next two home league games - assuming the scheduled visit of Cardiff is called off due to internationals - are against Port Vale and Rotherham who are in the bottom eight and have poor records against the Reds.

No side has scored or conceded more goals at home this season.

Conor Hourihane said the crowd was ‘a bit flat’ and called on them to pull the players through tough spells in the future. If the Reds keep performing at this level, that will surely happen.

REDS RECOVER FROM COOPER ERROR

Barnsley had controlled the opening 35 minutes before Murphy Cooper failed to get the ball after rushing out of his box and Reading were gifted an equaliser out of nowhere. The goalkeeper has had a good season overall and is still in credit, especially after making some decent saves later in the game. But he nearly made a similar error against Burton earlier in the season.

Barnsley have given away some silly goals recently through individual errors rather than being opened up.

If they can reduce them through Hourihane and his staff’s smart coaching and more time on the training ground with fewer midweek matches, then they will be a formidable prospect.

They did well to recover from the error and retake the lead, while in general they were defensively decent.

Centre-backs Jack Shepherd and Josh Earl were solid overall. Even if they tend to lose the ball in a dangerous area at least once per game, they are currently getting away with it and, generally, performing well. They each made eight clearances while Shepherd blocked three shots.

Tennai Watson completed 93 per cent of his passes which is his average across the season - with only team-mate Jon Russell having a better percentage in the division. Watson has been an extremely solid presence at right-back so far and is starting to add to his diligent defending by getting involved in more attacking moves. At one point, he brilliantly brought down a high Cooper pass with great control of his right foot at almost head height.

He formed a right side of Barnsley’s team that was made in Reading as both Watson and Caylan Vickers came through the Royals academy.

While Watson provides a solid base for Vickers to create from on the right, Barnsley’s left side is very different with full-back Nathanael Ogbeta often their furthest forward player while McGoldrick drifted in from the left.

MIDFIELD DUO SET THE TONE

Luca Connell and Jono Bland both had fine games as they continue to develop as an effective central midfield pairing.

Hourihane wants to have two players at the base of his midfield after several seasons of playing with one holding player in a midfield three. He feels the Reds were too open last season and vulnerable to transitions or counter-attacks, so wants a solid platform to protect the back four and to launch attacks from.

Connell continued his superb season so far with an all-action display capped by a phenomenal pass for the second goal, while he also helped set up the third. He completed 91 per cent of his passes.

Bland played with maturity well behind his 19 years as he won the ball, kept it well and was a combative presence throughout. They easily matched the visitors’ midfield three.

As for Barnsley’s attacking midfield three, Caylan Vickers assisted the opening goal and Adam Phillips secured the win with a nerveless penalty, but it was arguably David McGoldrick who stood out the most with excellent touches and passes when Barnsley were really purring.

Up front, Davis Keillor-Dunn provided another striker’s finish for the second goal which meant he is the league’s joint top-scorer with five while he has four in three against Reading.

Jon Russell came off the bench as a left-winger, a new experiment Barnsley are trying due to being low on forwards.

The Jamaica international made his 100th appearance for the club and has so far completed all 22 of his passes this season.