THE GAME
With manager Matt Taylor taking leave of absence to deal with a family matter, coaches David Horseman and Wayne Carlisle were in charge of team affairs for this Second Round FA Cup tie at Oakwell.
That they steered Rovers through to Round Three was due, in the main, to the efforts of goalkeeper Josh Griffiths, who made some 
outstanding saves throughout the 120 minutes played and then saved a vital penalty to see Rovers safely through.
There were four changes made to the starting XI and Joel Senior returned to first team action after a long spell out through injury. The first opportunity fell to Rovers and a Gatlin O’Donkor effort hit the post and rebounded into play after only five minutes. Senior then found Shaq Forde in space and he curled a shot towards goal that saw Ben Killip punch clear.
However, in spite of their bright start, Rovers were soon on the back foot as Barnsley took the game to them. Griffiths saved comfortably from Stephen Humphreys and the keeper then turned a shot from Kelechi Nwakali wide of the target. The same Barnsley player then shot wide when well placed and ten minutes before the break Humphreys beat Griffiths with a curling shot whech came back into play off the foot of the post.
Barnsley hit the woodwork again early in the second half when Adam Phillips powered a header against the crossbar. Griffiths continued to thwart the home side, saving again from Humphreys and, later in the half, from Fabio Jalo.
With neither side able to make the breakthrough, the game went into extra time and once again Griffiths saved Rovers from conceding, as he made excellent saves from Sam Cosgrove and Josh Earl.
The fact that the game was still goalless after 120 minutes meant it was to be decided by a penalty shootout; Barnsley’s first effort saw Adam Phillips hit the post while Chris Martin scored for Rovers. Sam Cosgrove and Ruel Sotiriou scored their spot kicks, as did Jon Russell and Scott Sinclair. Fab Jalo and Shaq Forde also score before Griffiths saved from Josh Earl to send Rovers through to the Third Round as they win 4-3 on pens!
THEY SAID WHAT?
‘To win on penalties is brilliant for the supporterswho have travelled such a long way. They were amazing and we all go home happy. I’m delighted for them, I’m delighted for the players and we are really looking forward to the draw on Monday. I’m so proud because I know quite a few Gasheads and I had quite a lot of messages today. All they want to see from their playersis 100% pride, to play for the badge and to put their body on the line.
‘Our goalkeeper had to play really well and our defenders had to defend the box unbelievably well. People like Shaq Forde have had to dig in and show another side to their game. They did everything, character wise, that I think a Bristol Rovers player or fan would expect to see of a Bristol Rovers player and hopefully they did the gaffer and his family proud today.
‘It was one of many brilliant perfromances this year by Josh Griffiths. He’s been absolutely magnificent, along with a couple of others. Let’s be honest, he kept us in the game. It’s brilliant for him and I think he’s the best kid and he’s desperate to learn. he’s really resilient and really athletic. He looks the part and he’s going to end up having a brilliant career and this experience will probably help him on his journey.’ (Rovers interim/caretaker manager David Horseman)
‘It’s nice to go through and be in the draw on Monday. I’m glad we could win, as it has been a difficult week. Our thoughts are with the manager and his family, so I’m glad we could put on a show for him and come away with a win and get through to the next round.
‘I’m really proud to keep a clean sheet. I thought the lads in front of me were outstanding and they defended the box really well. Barnsley are a direct team and David Horseman said they would be like that. We prepared well for it, so credit to the coaching staff as well. But I think an all round solid performance is something that the fans were proud of.
‘I think I thrive in those situations (penalty shootouts). It’s not a win-win, but you know if you can save one it gives you a chance and with them missing the first one, it was advantage to us straight away. So I knew that probably one more save and we would win it. The lads took their pens really well, so credit to them. I didn’t know I saved the winning penalty, to be honest, Then I saw the lads running towards me and, obviously, I was buzzing.’ Rovers goalkeeper Josh Griffiths)
‘The game is about finishing chances. It’s very frustrating. We dominated the ball and created a lot of chances but we are not doing what we are supposed to be doing in the final third and that has cost us. The result hurts and I am gutted to be out of the cup. How do we not win? The answer is we’re not good enough in the final third.
‘I’m angry but I need to assess it. Probably when I watch it back I will be even more frustrated. Whether it be our final pass or shot we just didn’t do it right. It should never have gone to penalties. We practised them yesterday and there was no stone unturned to try to win the game. But it’s not the penalties that disappoint me, it’s that we didn’t capitalise on our dominance.
‘I tried to freshen things up. The players who started missed a lot of chances. The players who came on missed a lot of chances. I wanted to win the cup tie. We didn’t do it and we should have done. No one wants hard luck stories, so we go again.’ (Barnsley manager Darrell Clarke)
