CITY 0 BARNSLEY 1

ON another night, City might have been celebrating a feast – instead it was another goal famine at a hugely frustrated Valley Parade.

Barnsley, the last visiting side to win there in October in the JPT, repeated the trick in the league as the Bantams came up firing blanks.

But it was not for want of trying in a cracking contest.

This was the best Phil Parkinson’s side had played attacking-wise for some time – so much better than against Bury on the same ground the previous week – and the home punters backed them all the way

Unfortunately, there was nothing to show for that effort at the end of it. The scoreboard told the story, especially the zero bit.

After six games in 2016, City have still scored only twice – and that’s why they remain on the outside looking in at the play-off race above them.

The pre-match talk had centred on the German group keeping tabs on the club.

Rumours of their investment interest surfaced during the day although it was not something new.

It is understood that they were one of the parties who first approached City in the summer at the height of Gianni Paladini’s failed takeover attempt and have been in occasional talks since – even attending one home game with joint-chairman Julian Rhodes.

While the channels remain open with the club board, there is no indication of any immediate progress on that front - and the more pressing matters for the fans last night were on the pitch.

Parkinson had called for the ground to get right behind City after feeling they had “lost their way” over the previous two home games.

He gave Josh Morris his first start since September on the left and Mark Marshall his first in the league since then on the right. Both never stopped trying to get forward.

City had to contain a rampant Tykes side who had smashed six past Rochdale at the weekend on the way to winning four on the bounce.

And the visitors wasted no time in carrying on where they had left off on Saturday, roaring into an early lead.

George Williams cut in from the left to float a cross towards the penalty spot where Marley Watkins looped a header over Ben Williams.

For the second game running, City were 1-0 down inside two minutes. Barnsley’s goal was timed at 119 seconds, just nine longer than it had taken Port Vale.

It was the first goal the Bantams had conceded at home since Wigan on October 24, ending a run of seven straight Valley Parade clean sheets.

Things could have got even worse from Barnsley’s next attack as Watkins wriggled into space in the box again but curled his effort past the post.

The home fans, to their credit, launched into a prolonged chorus of “Parkinson’s Bradford army” as the Bantams looked for a response.

It was still the black shirts, passing the ball crisply on the wet surface, carrying a real threat on the break and Sam Winnall – who had netted eight in his last four games - headed wide from James Bree’s cross.

But City were a whisker away from levelling on the half hour. Reece Burke kept a corner alive with a header into the mix, it was cleared out as far as Morris whose low drive looked bound for the bottom corner – only to clip George Williams or possibly even one of his own team-mates and roll past the post.

Marshall dallied too long on the ball after a burst forward from Chris Routis before Barnsley again worried the Kop, Winnall just missing the target with a curler from the edge of the box.

Lloyd Isgrove then nicked the ball away from Rory McArdle and he set up Watkins for a near-post header wide.

City looked to feed Marshall out wide whenever possible but Barnsley left back Williams was playing him well. But the winger forced a corner off him as half-time approached and Tony McMahon sent a dipping half-volley wide from 20 yards.

Marshall had the chance to be a hero right on the interval when Morris picked him out unmarked with a deep cross. But he opted not to shoot and tried to set up Proctor instead, merely side-footing the ball into the path of a grateful defender.

It was greeted with a groan of dismay and marked a team low on confidence in front of goal.

But City had cleared their heads from the early blow to play their part in an end-to-end half and looked more creative than they had done against Bury the week before.

There was a setback when Burke, who had looked impressive again, did not appear for the restart. Nathan Clarke took his place at the back.

The sides continued to trade chances. Morris hammered a cross-shot through the Barnsley goal mouth but the visitors hit straight back, Keighley-born Ashley Fletcher finding the side-netting after a surge into the box.

City were forced into another change as Billy Clarke hobbled off to be replaced by Steve Davies before the game exploded into action.

Rory McArdle denied Josh Brownhill with a superbly-timed tackle as the midfielder broke through – and from the corner Brownhill was denied again with a flying finger-tip save by Williams.

At the other end, Adam Davies lost his bearings after dashing from his goal and Proctor was presented with a pop at the gaping net from 35 yards.

The on-loan Fleetwood man had been the player Barnsley boss Lee Johnson had feared most after giving his side trouble on previous occasions. But in this instance, his long-range effort under pressure landed the wrong side of the post to the anguish of those behind the goal.

Back and forth it swung, Williams smothering from Winnall and McMahon stretching Davies with a drive towards the top corner.

Billy Knott came on to popular acclaim but was soon indebted to McArdle for another monster block in the box on Winnall after coughing up possession to spark another Barnsley raid.

Davies punched away Nathan Clarke’s header and then watched carefully as McMahon bent a free-kick over the wall but wide. It has become a sadly recurring theme.

CITY: B Williams 7, Darby 6, McArdle 8, Burke 7 (N Clarke 46min, 7), Meredith 6, Marshall 7, McMahon 6, Routis 7 (Knott 71min), Morris 7, B Clarke 6 (S Davies 55min, 6), Proctor 6. Subs (not used): Hanson, Leigh, Reid, Cracknell.

BARNSLEY: A Davies 6, Bree 6, Long 7, Mawson n/a (Roberts 18min, 7), G Williams 7, Watkins 7, Isgrove 7 (Khan 90min), Brownhill 7, Hourihane 7, Fletcher 6 (Scowen 82min), Winnall 7. Subs (not used): Abbott, Templeton, White, Townsend.

REFEREE: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)

BOOKINGS: McMahon (City); Winnall (Barnsley)

ATTENDANCE: 17,470

SHOTS ON TARGET: City 3, Barnsley 5

SHOTS OFF TARGET: City 7, Barnsley 10

CORNERS: City 6, Barnsley 3

FOULS COMMITTED: City 10, Barnsley 16