BARNSLEY were cruelly denied their third successive victory in the dying moments as former Red Callum Connolly came back to haunt them.

Barnsley were forced to settle for a point after Connolly’s late strike rescued a point for Stockport County.

It looked like the impressive Reds were going to make it three wins on the spin after Vimal Yoganathan gave them the lead midway through the first half.

The visitors defended resolutely throughout the second half and looked like they would be rewarded with all three points.

But they were cruelly pegged back with a minute to go when former Red Connolly volleyed home.

The Reds were great defensively but were perhaps too negative and, after a positive first half, rarely looked dangerous in the second.

A win would have lifted the Reds into the play-off places, albeit temporarily due to the early kick-off, but they now sit in tenth, three points behind sixth-place Bolton Wanderers though they do have two game in hand.

It's a bitter pill to swallow after such a battling performance but Conor Hourihane will need to pick up his players for an incredibly hectic schedule.

Reds battled but former player comes back to haunt them

It looked as though Hourihane was about to win three games in a row for his first time as Barnsley manager.

But Connolly's last minute effort broke the hearts of the travelling fans and players on the pitch.

The Reds recorded their first clean sheet in months in last weekend's superb 5-0 victory against Luton Town.

And it was almost a second in just a week before the cruel blow of County's equaliser.

Marc Roberts and Jack Shepherd were fantastic again at the back and they'll feel hard done by.

Murphy Cooper in net didn't have much to do with and commanded his box when called upon and could do nothing for Connolly's effort.

Tennai Watson continued his impressive form at right-back while Mael de Gevigney, after a slow start, came into the game well.

Luca Connell and Adam Phillips commanded the midfield well in the first half but were overrun in the second half.

It was a devastating way to draw but Barnsley can take positives from this game.

Mael at full-back probably not a long-term solution

Much like Jake Rooney against Luke Molyneux just a few weeks ago against Doncaster, Barnsley's left-hand side was an issue in this game.

De Gevingey is not a left-back - many will argue he's not even a right-back.

But that's where he started the game and where he looked to struggle.

He came up against fast and skilful Stockport winger Jayden Fevrier and he tormented the Frenchman, particularly in the opening quarter.

He certainly came back into the game and defended well but it doesn't look like it can be a long-term option for Hourihane and his coaching staff.

There's no doubting Mael's ability to defend, in fact since his return he's looked really strong.

But this was a case of it being just too much for him,

Barnsley have Josh Earl, Nathanael Ogbeta and the returning Georgie Gent who can play in that position so it's not likely he'll have to play their again.

But it's not his fault.

He'll not have do defend like that when being a centre-back in a back four or five.

It's just unfortunate he's had to play that position against one of the best in the league.

You do wonder what Ogbeta has to do to start a game, though.

It's clear that Hourihane wanted to be more defensively strong at the back for this game - but a centre-back at full-back very rarely works.

Yoganathan and Cleary combination

There can be no doubting that Cleary is now one of Barnsley's most important players.

It took him a while to break into the first team but since he has he hasn't looked back.

He's fast, powerful, skilful - but he also has an end product.

The assist to Yoganathan was the young winger's fourth assist this campaign.

He's truly a special talent and one that's seemingly come out of nowhere.

His ball across the box for Yoganathan was inch perfect and it left the midfielder with the easiest of tasks to score his second of the season.

Cleary spoke last week how he has been creating better relationships with his fellow forwards and that was clear here.

And for Yoganathan, after he was sent off against Bolton Wanderers earlier in the season it would have been easy for a young player to let that get the better of them.

But he's not sat back and he's worked his way back into the starting 11.

And it doesn't look like he's going to be giving back that shirt any time soon.

A more forward-thinking role - opposed to being sat in front of the back four - certainly suits him more.

His physique admittedly deceives many a defender.

He's tall and skinny - but his dribbling is fantastic and his ability to just skip past a man is second to none.

Both players are fantastic examples of some of the young talent Barnsley have in their ranks.

You can add Jonathan Bland and Patrick Kelly to that mix and the Reds look set for years to come in the middle of the park.

Still a good point

Despite the heartbreaking way in which the Reds didn't win this game, it's still a good point.

Many Reds fans would have taken a point before the game and it's likely to be one they look back at at the end of the season and be happy with it.

Of course, when Barnsley are leading up until the 89th minute you'd like to think they can get all three points but that's football.

More impressively, that's probably a game Barnsley would go onto lose last season.

They defended resolutely and held off the Stockport attack but they couldn't quite get the three points.

Under Darrell Clarke and the mentality of last season's squad they'd have gone under and conceded two or three.

But something's changing at Oakwell and it looks like they have the right man at the helm in Hourihane to guide them moving forward.