Barnsley crashed out of the EFL Trophy in the first knock-out round with a 5-0 loss at Port Vale on Tuesday evening.
The hosts were 2-0 up after eight minutes then added three more in the second half past the abject Reds.
Conor Hourihane picked a strong team, making just three changes from the league draw at Stockport County on Saturday. Jono Bland returned from suspension while David McGoldrick and Caylan Vickers started, with Patrick Kelly, Davis Keillor-Dunn and Adam Phillips moving onto the bench.
League One bottom club Vale had made nine changes from Saturday’s loss at Lincoln and dominated the early stages. George Byers’ 20-yard strike crashed against the crossbar in the third minute after a long throw was half-cleared.
Two minutes later, Ruari Paton smashed into the bottom left corner from just inside the box after a clever move down the left ended in a cross deflecting off Marc Roberts’ leg straight to him.
Paton added another on eight minutes, bringing down Kyle John’s crossfield pass from the right and firing into the bottom right corner from just outside the box.
It should have been 3-0 on 17 minutes when Mo Faal headed wide of the left post from a few yards out after a volleyed cross on the left.
Reyes Cleary saw a long-range shot easily saved then fired over from a tight angle on the left of the box. At the other end, Ben Waine shot over from close range after Faal robbed Jack Shepherd of the ball and there was a scramble in the Reds box.
Vimal Yoganathan shot tamely wide from the edge of the box after good work by Cleary and Byers’ shot from 20 yards was easily caught by Cooper then Waine narrowly missed the bottom right corner from a similar distance. Yoganathan headed a Luca Connell free-kick wide on the stroke of half-time.
Phillips came on at half-time for Yoganathan and made his 150th Barnsley appearance.
Cooper saved a long-range Rhys Walters effort then Waine shot over again from a Paton free-kick.
Barnsley almost pulled one back when Kelly put his fellow substitute Neil Farrugia through but the goalkeeper saved then also kept out Kelly’s rebound. Amos also saved from a Mael de Gevigney header and caught a powerful Bland shot from 25 yards.
But it was Vale who scored again when Dejaune Brown found the bottom left corner from just inside the box, having brought down a Faal long ball before sending Cooper the wrong way.
Barnsley’s evening got worse when Roberts had to leave the field with an injury after they had made all their substitutions.
It should have been four when Faal again got the ball off Shepherd and Ronan Curtis rounded Cooper but de Gevigney blocked on the line.
Waine did add a fourth with a curling shot into the top right corner from the left of the box then, after Shepherd cleared off the line following a goalmouth scramble, Farrugia blasted the ball against Jesse Debrah and it bounced into the net.
Barnsley (4-2-3-1): Cooper; Watson, Roberts, Shepherd, de Gevigney; Bland, Connell (Russell 69); Yoganathan (Phillips HT), Vickers (Kelly 53), Cleary (Farrugia 53); McGoldrick (Keillor-Dunn 53).
Unused: Flavell, Rooney.
Port Vale (4-3-3): Amos; John (Humphreys HT), Hall (Heneghan 61), Debrah, Headley; Walters (Croasdale HT), Byers (Ojo 61), Waine; Paton (Curtis 69), Faal, Brown.
Unused: Marosi, Shipley.
Goals: Paton 5, 8; Brown 72; Waine 80, Debrah 85.
