Analysis of Barnsley's 1-1 home draw with second-placed Cardiff City on Tuesday. The visitors took an early lead but Scott Banks levelled.

IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE SHOWS WHAT REDS CAPABLE OF

THIS match was the last of Conor Hourihane’s first year in charge of Barnsley, including his brief interim spell, and the impressive performance gave us a glimpse of what could still be achieved under him.

The Reds put Cardiff City, who are very likely to make an immediate return to the Championship where most of their players belong, under serious pressure for a long spell in the first half then showed guts to secure the point in the second.

The Oakwell fans were the loudest they have been for weeks – no boos or protests, just support for a team giving their all and playing attractive, spirited football.

It has been a learning first year for Hourihane and it will fascinating to see what the next 12 months bring but, after four points from a strong week, there is still an outside chance of the next two months being special.

Only Cardiff and their title rivals Lincoln have more goals in the third tier than Barnsley this season, while the Reds are improving defensively, even if a clean sheet continues to evade them, and they have influential midfielder Patrick Kelly close to a return from injury.

Barnsley are 12th in League One, eight points off sixth with games in hand on the teams above them. To finish in the play-offs, assuming it will require roughly 75 points, they would need to win nine of their last 12 which is a tall order given they have only won eight out of their last 27 in the league.

But, of their next eight scheduled opponents, only Plymouth are above them in the table and that is just marginally.

It is a chance to, if nothing else, put a good run together, go well past last season’s total of 61 points and bring some real positivity back to the club.

They have taken seven points from the first four of their seven games in 21 days and now visit fellow mid-table side Mansfield before hosting relegation-battling clubs Wigan and Doncaster ahead of a possible breather in the international break.

REDS RATTLE TITLE CONTENDERS AND SHOW GUTS

Cardiff had lost two of their last three including at home to Lincoln on Saturday lunchtime so fell off top spot, but were still eight points clear in the automatic promotion places.

Barnsley lost 4-0 in the Welsh capital six weeks before this game and, in the opening 20 minutes, they looked likely to be outclassed again as the dominant visitors took the lead and had a couple of other chances.

But Hourihane pushed David McGoldrick further up alongside Tom Bradshaw and, from the Reds’ first meaningful attack on 20 minutes, Scott Banks scored totally against the run of play which completely changed the momentum of the match.

Barnsley were the better side for the remainder of the half, perturbing their visitors with a performance full of energy and confidence both on and off the ball. They should have taken the lead but half-time came at a good time for Cardiff who dominated territory in the second period but the few chances were fairly evenly spread between the sides as Barnsley defended resolutely despite suffering some fatigue. Top-scorers Cardiff had no recognised strikers with Yousef Salech injured and could not break their hosts down.

It is not a template of how Hourihane wants his team to play – they only had 27 per cent of possession which he prefers to dominate – but in terms of heart, work-rate and attitude against an extremely high-quality team for League One, it was spot on.

BANKS NETS GAME-CHANGING GOAL

Scott Banks has two goals and four assists for Barnsley in eight starts and two substitute appearances since signing in January – an impressive impact.

He returned to the side having been dropped to the bench following a particularly difficult game against Wycombe a week earlier and was on the left wing, whereas he usually plays on the right and cuts in on his left foot. He took his game-changing goal nicely and performed well going forward and backwards.

The leveller saw Vimal Yoganathan cleverly play in Bradshaw on the right – after those two robbed Dylan Lawlor of the ball – and the cross was missed by everyone in front of goal then fell to the unmarked Banks at the back post to finish into the bottom left corner from ten yards out.

Yoganathan was excellent again on his 50th Reds appearance, pressing extremely well plus showing real skill to beat defenders and play intelligent passes as he was nominally on the right wing but often drifted infield.

Both he and fellow Wales under 21 player Jono Bland – who had his best performance for weeks after being brought back into the side - held their own against a team containing many of their colleagues from the international set-up.

Hourihane had brought Banks and Bland back into the side, dropping Adam Phillips and Reyes Cleary – who had 31 goals and assists between them this season – to the bench, partly to rest them but also because he wants more from the duo.

MCGOLDRICK MISSES CHANCES BUT ANOTHER HUGE SHIFT

McGoldrick played a full game for the third time in a week and it was the 38-year-old striker tracking a runner to win the final tackle of the game deep into injury-time.

His age seems irrelevant at the moment – other than inspiring younger players to emulate him – he is simply a high-class and ultra-fit player putting in a phenomenal shift for his team and shows no signs of slowing down.

It must be said that he did not have his best night in front of goal, missing two big chances to put the Reds in front.

He can certainly be forgiven for that, having scored 11 goals in the previous 12 games, and his name was still sung regularly due to his all-round performance.

Bradshaw started up front for the second time in four days and played well again, setting up the goal.

The understandable fears about having only two strikers, both well in their 30s, during this very gruelling schedule, are yet to be fully realised.

NO CLEAN SHEET IN 20 BUT DEFENCE IS IMPROVING

Barnsley have played 20 games in all competitions since they last kept a clean sheet, at Peterborough in the FA Cup in early December.

That equals the run in the first half of the 2015/16 season under Lee Johnson when Hourihane was playing for the Reds and eventually led them to promotion. The club record for games without a clean sheet in one season is 25 in 2002/03 and 1952/53.

Only Doncaster and Leyton Orient have let in more goals in the third tier this season than Barnsley and no one has conceded more at home.

But it feels like they are getting closer to that elusive shut-out, letting in just one goal in each of their last four games.

Cardiff’s goal was poor, with Jack Shepherd missing a crossfield pass by Alex Robertson to Ollie Tanner who could pick out Rubin Colwill who had not been marked by Eoghan O’Connell or Luca Connell and found the bottom left corner. But, after surviving a couple more chances, they improved significantly.

Mael de Gevigney - who had looked likely to sit on the bench until being released in the summer - has suddenly become one of the better performers, reigniting the chance of the Reds taking an option to keep him for another year. The Frenchman made 13 clearances and blocked two shots in another impressive display.

Shepherd continued at left-back after being passed fit. He had a poor start but grew into the game and shackled the lively Tanner.

Owen Goodman – after having a clearance blocked just wide early on – made some sharp saves and was announced as Player of the Match for the second straight Tuesday, this time with no loud grumblings from the crowd like against Wycombe.