Coventry City 2 Barnsley 0 – Reds’ 96-year wait to win on the road continues in Coventry Yorkshire News

Comedian Mark Twain spoke of nothing being certain in life except death and taxes. Barnsley failed to win against a local Coventry team should be added to the roster.

George V was on the throne and Stanley Baldwin was Prime Minister the last time the Reds beat the Sky Blues in the Midlands in August 1925.

Barnsley headed into this game with a club-record sequence of six straight league wins on the road. Emphatically there was no seventh as his streak without a win over Coventry, at his “home”, was extended to a game 26.

On an afternoon when the Reds could have moved seven points away from the team just outside of the play-offs in Reading, they were outmatched and enthused by an impressive Coventry team that had more struggle and despair regarding their own cause for survival.

Amid the beautiful spring sunshine, everything seemed fine for Barnsley from the start, but they didn’t feature a Coventry side to their face, workaholic and ultra-committed who took on the Reds the same way they did the Thursday night against Rotherham.

The battles were won by those in sky blue and while Barnsley, despite the benefit of four days of extra preparation, was passive, Coventry was super aggressive.

His two forwards, Max Biamou and Tyler Walker, were ready for the fight and retired Gustavo Hamer posed problems in role number ten and had a strong outing in the form of Sam McCallum’s booming long shots from the left.

At the back, his defenders were level-headed and held their ground when Barnsley tried to conjure a leveler in the second half.

They admirably protected the lead Dom Hyam gave them in the ninth minute and added a second in injury time through substitute Matty Gooden to virtually seal their Championship survival.

Barnsley has more to do to achieve his cherished goal of making the play-offs.

Valerien Ismael admitted that his team was second best after a Coventry team that made several of Mark Robins’ former clubs, Valerien Ismael said: “I think it was not enough to win. We were careless in the first part and we really weren’t there and there was no intensity. We conceded the goal early and then it was easier for Coventry to defend.

Now we are near the end and we have four games left and we cannot complain or try to analyze the game.

“It’s about getting the next game and focusing on Huddersfield, it’s all in our hands and we’re still in the perfect position and now the focus is on next week. Perhaps it is a good warning to increase our intensity and desire to get the points.

“We have not crossed the line and it was a reminder for everyone. The next game is Wednesday and our purpose is to recover. “

Coventry did to Barnsley what they have done to various sides this period. The only consolation was that the gap gap for the visitors was narrow.

But there was no transformation in the second half even though the Reds saw much more of the ball.

The breakthrough came early when Hyam shot home with an excellent low shot after Biamou set it up after Hamer’s pitch.

Hearts were in Barnsley’s mouth as Hyam connected with a firm header later in the half, but thankfully his effort ended, while Leo Ostigard also turned down a decent opportunity.

At the other end, Barnsley brought little to the table, and his most dangerous moment came with the last half kick when Cauley Woodrow stabbed the ball just past Ben Wilson’s attack of Daryl Dike’s assist.

Before that, there was a lot to ponder for Ismael, who was staring deep in thought in his technical area. He would have been perplexed by what he was witnessing.

After putting in so much in the first half, the question was whether Coventry could keep up their efforts. Barnsley should have cared more about getting his own house in order.

Despite Morris’s arrival, the Sky Blues continued unfazed by the visitors, who continued to work despite seeing more of the ball with Ismael’s constant praise falling on deaf ears.

A major challenge from Michal Helik kept understudy Viktor Gyokeres from getting close to a second before Barnsley finally belatedly produced a notable opportunity.

An entrepreneurial run by Callum Styles groomed backup Dominik Frieser and his low shot was blocked by Ben Wilson.

Barnsley huffed and huffed, but there was no inspiration or conviction, with a rare moment …