STOKE CITY 0
BARNSLEY 0

IT has taken more than 50 games but the Reds have finally been held to a goalless draw although Barnsley were desperately unfortunate after having the better of a thrilling encounter at the Britannia Stadium.

Reds manager Simon Davey resisted the temptation to change a winning team and named the same starting eleven that beat Scunthorpe United at the weekend. The only change was to the subs bench with Lewin Nyatanga returning at the expense of Kim Christensen.

Former Oakwell youngster Jon Parkin started his first game of the season for Stoke, replacing Mamady Sidibe up front.

The Reds started quickly with Jamal Campbell-Ryce making inroads down the right wing inside the first minutes. Campbell-Ryce eventually found Anderson De Silva in the area but the Brazilian could not get his volley on target from 18 yards.

De Silva went close again on three minutes after the Stoke defence had struggled to clear Brian Howard's corner but again the Everton loanee could not find the target from distance.

It was Kayode Odejayi's turn to get in on goal on five minutes as he reacted quickest as Stephen Foster's free kick dropped in the area but the striker could not get his volley on goal under pressure.

Barnsley's excellent start to the game took a turn for the worst on eight minutes when Rob Kozluk, who only passed a fitness test this afternoon, pulled up with a recurrence of his groin injury. Nyatanga was called into the Reds defence as his replacement.

Campbell-Ryce again had the City defence at sixes and sevens on 15 minutes as he did wonderfully well to find Grant McCann and the Northern Ireland international looked to have opened the scoring only for his goalbound effort to cannon away of Istvan Ferenczi with Steve Simonsen struggling to get there.

McCann again found himself in a great position on 19 minutes as he ghosted in at the back post to meet Jody Craddock's weak clearance but the midfielder could only lash his volley well wide of the target with the home side rocking.

Barnsley were rampant all over the park and Ferenczi was an inch away from the opening goal on 21 minutes as he rose to meet Campbell-Ryce's cross but Craddock was in the right place to put him off at the last moment.

The best City could offer came on 24 minutes as Parkin found a yard of space in the area but didn't really test Heinz Muller from 18 yards.

Barnsley should have been in front just a minute later as Brian Howard burst through to Stoke defence before standing the ball up from the byline. Odejayi was in acres of space at the back post but could not get his header on target from a tight angle and hit the sidenetting.

Campbell-Ryce again had the Stoke defence chasing shadows on 26 minutes as he raced at Stephen Wright yet again. Campbell-Ryce again chose the right option and played in De Silva but the Brazilian could not find a finish from 18 yards.

Campbell-Ryce tormented the City defence yet again on 28 minutes and felt the full force of Wright's clumsy challenge. The Stoke defender got away with it because the ball broke nicely to Ferenczi, who teed up Howard but the midfielder saw his goalbound shot well blocked.

Stoke were rattled and another hefty challenge, this time by Parkin, gave the Reds another shooting chance on the half hour. This time De Silva curled it around the wall but a yard wide of the post with Simonsen scrambling.

Stoke threw everything forward but were very disjointed although Parkin did force Muller into action on 31 minutes although the big German merely had to race out of his goal to stop the striker's deflected shot going for a corner.

For all the Reds total dominance, Stoke could have snatched the lead on 34 minutes as Parkin found himself free at the back post to meet Wright's free kick but hit the sidenetting with only Muller to beat. Stoke went close again on 37 minutes as Rory Delap met Carl Dickinson's corner but the midfielder could not put his header on target.

Howard tricked his way past a couple of challenges on 43 minutes as the City defence stood off again but could not find a finish from the edge of the area.

Ricardo Fuller's best chance came on 45 minutes as he fired straight at Muller from 20 yards.

A misjudgement between Stephen Foster and Howard gave City the first chance of the second half on 48 minutes as Fuller raced to the byline to cross but Nyatanga managed to get across to clear the danger.

Fuller then raced at Nyatanga on 55 minutes and managed to find enough space to get a shot high over the bar only for the referee to inexplicably award a corner. With Stoke aerial presence they were always going to be a threat from set pieces and Fuller caused problems in the area again when he met Delap's centre. The striker rattled the crossbar with a looping header.

Barnsley responded and Howard was scythed down in shooting range on 58 minutes but Werling could only smash the free kick high over the bar.

Stoke's up and under brand of football may win matches but it was not pleasant to watch although the Reds stood up admirably to the home side's direct style of play.

Campbell-Ryce turned on the style again on 63 minutes to bamboozle Wright before planting a decent cross into the far post for Odejayi but the striker just could not get enough on the ball to beat Simonsen.

Campbell-Ryce again pulled the strings from the right hand side on 65 minutes as he managed to find space to cross but again Odejayi could not put a difficult header on target at the back post.

The Reds winger again tore Stoke to shreds on 66 minutes as he cut onto De Silva's pass and set up Odejayi again at the far post but Stoke managed to clear their lines before the big striker could pull the trigger.

Muller was finally called into a meaningful save on 68 minutes as he reacted wonderfully well to turn Richard Cresswell's shot around the post.

Cresswell then should have put Stoke into the lead on 70 minutes as some calamitous defending by the Reds gave the frontman a clear shot at an open goal but he blazed his effort high over the bar.

Stoke finally put the Reds under a bit of pressure and substitute Sidibe cut inside from the left on 70 minutes but found his path to goal blocked by Muller's fine save.

The Reds were still creating chances at the other end and McCann opened the Stoke defence on 72 minutes but could not find the bottom corner with a right-foot curler from 20 yards.

Muller again had to be alert on 73 minutes to snatch Sibibe's header before excellent play by Howard and Ferenczi cut open City but Odejayi saw his shot well blocked a minute later.

Sidibe tried to take matters into his own hands on 75 minutes as he burst in from the left and held off Nyatanga before hitting the back of the stand from 30 yards.

Barnsley broke well again and De Silva found acres of space in midfield on 75 minutes but the Brazilian must have left his shooting boots in the dressing room and he fired a foot or so over the bar.

Muller then showed exactly why the Reds paid out a six-figure fee for the big German with an outstanding one-handed save on 76 minutes to deny Dominic Matteo. Muller was going the wrong way but still managed to claw Matteo's shot around the upright.

The Reds were really under the cosh as Stoke hammered forward but found Dennus Souza and Nyatanga in outstanding form as the pair threw everything in front of the ball to deny the home side.

Werling almost crafted a winner on 88 minutes as his cross gave Ferenczi half a chance in the area but the Hungarian could only flick the ball through to Simonsen. De Silva then took on the City defence on his own a minute later but could not find a finish to match some nice trickery on the edge of the area.

There was still time for Matteo to send a shot an inch over the bar deep in stoppage time but the Reds held on for a fine point.

STOKE CITY: Simonsen, Wright, Shawcross, Craddock, Dickinson (Zakuani 52), Lawrence, Delap, Matteo, Cresswell (Sweeney 87), Parkin (Sidibe 63), Fuller.
Subs: Hoult, Eustace.

BARNSLEY: Muller, Kozluk (Nyatanga 8), Foster, Souza, Werling, Campbell-Ryce (Devaney 80), De Silva, Howard, McCann, Ferenczi, Odejayi.
Subs: Colgan, Mostto, Togwell.