MX23RW : Wednesday, March 17 22:03:47| >> :60:79:79:
Mar 6, 2021 at 3pm UK at Oakwell Stadium
BarnsleyBarnsley
1-0
BirminghamBirmingham City
Dike (49')
Halme (77'), Mason (90+4')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Friend (33'), Harper (72')

Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael hails "unbelievable" Daryl Dike winner

The Tykes beat Birmingham thanks to a stunning second-half strike from Daryl Dike.

Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael was proud of his team's mentality after they beat Birmingham 1-0 at Oakwell.

A second-half Daryl Dike rocket saw the Reds climb into the Sky Bet Championship's top six after securing their seventh successive win.

Ismael said: "In my 28 or 29 years in football, I have never seen a strike like that before. It was something unbelievable.

"Congratulations to Dike and the guys for a great win today.

"It was all about defending long balls and second balls. You have to stay strong and you have to deal with the way they play.

"In the second half we made changes and put pressure on the opponent.

"We've kept a clean sheet and we are in a brilliant position at the moment.

"The transfer window was important for us and now we are getting the reward.

"It's important to make the right decisions in transfer periods and I am delighted that we made some great choices.

"This is what you can achieve when you believe. Everyone has the same vision, and everyone is hungry.

"We will have a clear picture of the table just before the international break."

Harlee Dean had the first chance of the game but the Blues captain could only steer his header wide in the opening exchanges.

Cauley Woodrow followed with the Tykes' first effort of the afternoon. Firing low past the post, the forward failed to find the target with a quarter of an hour gone.

Dike broke the deadlock in the 49th minute. Latching onto Carlton Morris' pass down the right flank, the American fired a thunderbolt past a helpless Neil Etheridge from 22 yards.

Birmingham boss Aitor Karanka said: "They scored and we were unable to score. It's impossible to score a goal when we don't shoot on target.

"We had 90 minutes to shoot and we were unable to have a shot on target. I don't know why that was. I encourage players to shoot.

"Once again we couldn't score. We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we lost.

"When you lose a game, something hasn't worked and as a coach I am responsible for the result.

"I tried to play with a strong team. They are really good at set-pieces and I thought that we could have kept more of the ball.

"We are in this position because of the mistakes that we are making. We can't blame anybody but ourselves."

ID:438128: cacheID:438128:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4207:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Did you know...?
Swansea City's Connor Roberts celebrates scoring against Stoke City in the Championship on March 3, 2021
Read Next:
Saturday's Championship predictions including Swansea City vs. Middlesbrough
>
Latest Sports Video

rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Norwich CityNorwich37257555262982
2Watford37219752262672
3Swansea CitySwansea36209745281769
4Brentford361910764382667
5Barnsley37197114840864
6Reading371871251401161
7Bournemouth3716111055371859
8Middlesbrough37168134638856
9Cardiff CityCardiff3715101254371755
10Millwall371116103736149
11Stoke CityStoke371213124142-149
12Queens Park RangersQPR361310133842-449
13Bristol City37154183948-949
14Luton TownLuton36138153041-1147
15Blackburn RoversBlackburn37129164941845
16Preston North EndPreston37135193948-944
17Huddersfield TownHuddersfield37119174152-1142
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest371011162937-841
19Derby CountyDerby371010172741-1440
20Coventry CityCoventry36911163248-1638
21Birmingham CityBirmingham37911172847-1938
22Rotherham UnitedRotherham3395193647-1132
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds3698192646-2029
24Wycombe WanderersWycombe3768232561-3626

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!