Sheffield Wednesday (U23s) 0-1 Barnsley (U23s)

Sheffield Wednesday (U23s) 0-1 Barnsley (U23s)
Professional Development League
Monday 4th October 2021

This was a close, tight and competitive contest - played in both sunshine and a torrential downpour which looked set to end in a stalemate until Jordan Helliwell popped up with the winner in the dying stages.

The right-back was left unmarked high up the pitch in the opposition box when he latched onto a low cross and nonchalantly dinked the ball over the ‘keeper to give Barnsley a hard-earned win which, on the balance of play, they just about deserved.

Played at Stocksbridge Park Steels’ Eco-Power Stadium (which, if rumours are to be believed, will soon be the new sponsored-name for the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster), the first half was quite equal and without any clear-cut chances at either end as both teams counteracted one another, maintained their shape, kept the ball and didn’t give it away cheaply; thus offering nothing in the way of a silly mistake or individual error.

Wednesday initially saw more of the ball and had the territorial advantage - something which lasted for much of the opening 20 minutes or so, but they weren’t ever able to get in-behind the Barnsley backline. Gradually, the visitors grew stronger and began to get on the ball more, knock it around, look to create space out wide, and they responded with some decent passages of play.

There were a couple of stoppages here and there for minor knocks which required treatment and the closest either side came to an opener before half-time was when David Bremang’s floated ball towards the back-post was headed narrowly by Cameron Thompson - though it wouldn’t have counted anyway as the linesman’s flag had gone up for offside.

Barnsley continued to look the stronger of the two sides immediately after the re-start and, playing on the front foot, they turned their possession into chances and openings.

They had the perfect opportunity to break the deadlock on 50 minutes when Jack Sherlock was upended inside the box by Josh Render but the Owls ‘keeper redeemed himself by parrying Thompson's resulting spot-kick away to safety. It paved the way for further opportunities, however, as Thompson fired just over a few moments later before Render produced a brilliant fingertip save to keep out a stinging 20-yard half-volley by Bremang.

Isaac Christian-Davies’ goalbound free-kick also drew a good save from the Owls custodian and, eventually, the hosts wrestled back a foothold in the game (of sorts) by the point at which the first of two heavy downpours made conditions very challenging.

Wednesday, having introduced Bailey Cadamarteri - the son of well-travelled ex-pro Danny, soon created a few chances of their own as they pressed to take the lead.

A scuffed low shot went harmlessly wide midway through the half before Helliwell’s excellent positional sense foiled an Owls striker from being able to finish off a move where a ball came into the box from the hosts’ right side. Wednesday’s very next attack saw Will Trueman get goal-side of Helliwell inside the box and poke an effort towards goal but Danny Benson was on-hand to intercept the danger close to his goal-line.

A stalemate appeared to be beckoning but that changed five minutes from time when Helliwell was left in acres of space as he latched onto a left-wing cross and dinked the ball over the ‘keeper.

The Owls thought they’d snatched a point when Leojo Davison put the ball in the net in injury-time but it was correctly ruled out for offside and, with everyone on the pitch soaked to the skin by a second downpour, the full-time whistle probably couldn’t have come soon enough.

It was certainly a very good win for Barnsley and, this being the first time I’ve seen them in quite a while, quite a few of the lads left a good impression with how they applied themselves.

In particular - and above the others, Joe Ackroyd caught the eye due to his easy-to-spot technical ability on the ball and his positional awareness off it; recovering quickly to get back in shape when he needed to. He looked composed in the middle of the pitch and there’s definitely a clever player in the making with him which will be worth keeping an eye on.

Elsewhere, Jason Sraha - a big commanding centre-back who won most things in the air and was really good with the ball at his feet, impressed, whilst Isaac Christian-Daves (who got booked for a tackle just before half-time) looked alright from his deep-lying position and was heavily involved in quite a bit of work. David Bremang and Cameron Thompson also had a few nice bits of link-up play at times as well.

I already know plenty about Jordan Helliwell (from the versatility he can offer to his loans at Stalybridge Celtic and Esbjerg) and it’s good to see him getting regular game-time - plus a match-winning goal which is never a bad thing! He isn’t the tallest player and, at roughly 5ft8, his height will go against him with certain football-related people who just want to put out a team full of big lads. 

However, he’s got an intelligent football brain, is decent on the ball and possesses good awareness and anticipation when it comes to reading the danger. He’s not yet the finished article, and over time and with more experience the defensive aspects to his game will go up a few notches, but he’s someone I rate quite highly and believe has certain tools to do well for himself. There’s also a hidden tenacity within his style (demonstrated by standing his ground and not reacting when a Wednesday player was trying to shove him around late on) and that's always a good thing to have.

On the whole, I can see what this Barnsley team is trying to achieve and I can buy into the different facets of it. There were some good ideas shown over the course of the 90 minutes, the communication was good and despite one or two iffy results in the Professional Development League over the past few weeks, it was pleasant to watch them and enjoyable - apart from the rain anyway!