BARNSLEY 1 (Howard 83)
CARDIFF CITY 1 (Hasselbaink 73)

BRIAN Howard was Barnsley's hero as the midfielder salvaged a point the Reds thoroughly deserved after an entertaining and end-to-end clash with Cardiff City at Oakwell.

Reds manager Simon Davey made one change to the side that beat Southampton last time out with Rob Kozluk replacing suspended full back Dominik Werling. Cardiff City named star strikers Robbie Fowler and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in their starting eleven alongside ex-Oakwell favourite Stephen McPhail.

Cardiff fired the first shot in anger on four minutes when the ball fell to Hasselbaink on the edge of the area. The Dutchman took his effort early but could not get his shot on target from 20 yards.

Barnsley were in at the other end a minute later as Kayode Odejayi found Istvan Ferenczi and the big Hungarian rattled the upright before being pulled back by an offside flag.

Hasselbaink then managed to get the wrong side of the Barnsley defence on seven minutes and drew a foul from Kozluk right on the edge of the area. Fowler took the free kick but his shot was easy for Heinz Muller.

Fowler again got in on goal on eight minutes as he broke well before finding McPhail in the centre but again Muller came to the Reds rescue with an outstanding save. Hasselbaink could not turn the ball in from a tight angle as the ball went loose.

Muller had to be alert on nine minutes to grab Hasselbaink's low shot and the big German was alert enough to smother the ball at the second attempt.

Jamal Campbell-Ryce showed great defensive work on 12 minutes as he raced in to rob Fowler in the area after the striker had raced into the winger's initial mistake. A slip by Dennis Souza then allowed Trevor Sinclair's cross to cause problems on 15 minutes but the Brazilian recovered well to block from McPhail in the area.

The Reds had to reshuffle on 16 minutes when Ferenczi was forced out of the action following a collision with Glenn Loovens. Peruvian Miguel Mostto replaced him in attack.

The Reds almost got it right on 17 minutes as Anderson De Silva picked a fine pass through the City defence for Odejayi to race clear but the striker was denied by a controversial offside flag.

Odejayi and Mostto combined well on 24 minutes to knock Stephen Foster's cross into Howard's path but the midfielder could not get his volley on target and his effort struck a defender. From Anderson's corner Foster thought he had his first Oakwell goal as he headed goalward only for Kevin McNaughton to clear off the line. In the scramble that followed Souza saw his shot well blocked.

Odejayi used his pace to get in behind Cardiff yet again on 27 minutes as he raced past a defender and onto Souza's pass but was pulled back by another debateable offside flag.

Howard then broke well through midfield on 29 minutes as he found a yard of space but shot wide under pressure from McPhail. Muller was called to make a save on 31 minutes when Tony Capaldi let fly but the Reds keeper was in the right place to smother the ball.

Howard then found a great pass to send Mostto through down the left but the little Peruvian could not dig out a shot from a tight angle and fired across goal. At then other end Fowler flashed a shot wide of the target on 38 minutes after finding a yard inside the area.

Hasselbaink went to ground very, very easily under the lightest of challenges from De Silva on 39 minutes to earn a free kick. Thankfully the Dutchman could only shoot straight into the wall although Loovens went close with a header from the rebound.

There was still time in the first half for Fowler to blaze wide and McPhail to smash one high over the top as City pressed in the closing stages but they never really looked like breaking through a resolute Reds defence. Cardiff's frustration boiled over in stoppage time as manager Dave Jones was sent to the stand for protesting.

Barnsley had Cardiff reeling within a minute of the restart as Campbell-Ryce forced McNaughton into turning the ball back to Michael Oakes under pressure but somehow the visitors escaped unscathed.

McCann then became the first player cautioned on 48 minutes after he scythed down Sinclair on the touchline. Kozluk quickly followed his teammate into the book despite what looked like an excellent sliding challenge to dispossess Sinclair. A card happy Dowd then booked Campbell-Ryce as the winger looked to rob McNaughton on the half way line.

Cardiff kicked on and Joe Ledley had the Reds defence scrambling on 57 minutes as he sent in a fine cross from the left for Fowler but the former England international could only volley wide from 12 yards.

Barnsley were forcing the play and Howard sent over a fine corner on 62 minutes that left Oakes stranded but Foster could not get his header back on target.

Cardiff were never out of it and Hasselbaink gave a timely reminder of the Welsh side's quality on 67 minutes as he swivelled well before flashing a low shot wide of the post.

City got the opening goal on 73 minutes when Hasselbaink managed to break free from Souza's shackles and get his head to Paul Parry's cross. Hasselbaink's header flew in despite Muller's attempts to make a full-length save.

Barnsley responded immediately and Odejayi was an inch away from levelling things on 75 minutes as he saw his deflected shot land on the top of the net with Oakes stranded. Mostto was then close to getting onto the end of McCann's fine pass a minute later.

Despite being card happy towards the Reds, referee Dowd inexpicably let McPhail off with another lecture on 80 minutes after the former Barnsley star had blocked off Martin Devaney and then severely contested the decision.

Cardiff got away with it again just a minute later when Devaney's cross struck Tony Capaldi's arm in the area but again the officials amazingly did not give anything.

Barnsley were rampant and Odejayi brought a fine save from Oakes on 83 minutes after bursting through the area.

The Reds levelled thing up a minute later and Howard was again in the right place at the right time to fire in his fifth goal of the campaign from 12 yards with Cardiff rocking at the back.

Mostto saw a great chance deflected over on 87 minutes and Foster headed wide from Devaney's corner a minute later as Barnsley camped in the City half searching for a winner.

Cardiff went close to a killer blow in stoppage time when Parry smashed one in at Muller but the German did well to get down quickly and smother the danger.

BARNSLEY: Muller, Foster, Souza, Nyatanga, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce (Devaney 74), Howard, De Silva, McCann, Ferenczi (Mostto 16), Odejayi.
Subs: Colgan, Reid, Togwell.

CARDIFF CITY: Oakes, McNaughton, Capaldi, Johnson, Loovens, McPhail, Rae, Fowler, Hasselbaink, Ledley, Sinclair (Parry 67).
Subs: Turnbull, Whittingham, Green, Gunter.