A lack of creativity is killing Barnsley

Going into this game the reds were stuttering and the recent run of poor performances represented the first bump in the road for manager Michael Duff. By 9.45pm on Tuesday night that bump had manifested into a huge wall, one that the reds appeared unable to climb.

For the majority of the first half Barnsley set the tone with quick passing throughout the side with every player comfortable with the ball at their feet. No obvious hangover from the defeat to Morecambe and after 18 minutes the reds had 78% possession in the game. But as we know, you can have all the ball you want but it's what you do with the ball that counts.

Lincoln showed early on what their game plan was when after comfortably soaking all that Barnsley pressure up they broke on the counter and the lively Jack Diamond hit the outside of the Barnsley post when he really should have scored. An early warning shot for the reds.

The visitors have recently tightened up playing with a five at the back. A win at Ipswich and 1-1 home draw to Sheffield Wednesday had Mark Kennedy`s men full of confidence going into this game. Lincoln were happy to let the hosts have the ball but were lightning fast in a counter attack that had the reds worrying everytime possession was lost with the Imps hitting the reds with a fast counter.

Barnsley zipped the ball about well but without any pressure on the man with the ball, Lincoln were happy to sit in and let the reds pass the ball about yet without any cutting edge, the Lincoln goalkeeper had very little to do. Once possession was squandered, Lincoln hit the reds on the counter and although Brad Collins had little to do in that first half, the danger was always there.

Herbie Kane clearly divides opinion amongst the Barnsley faithful, a player you either love or hate. In that first half, Kane was always willing to get on the ball and go forward, the problem being there was no other player in the home side that was capable of creating an opening for the forwards. Kane tried and appeared comfortable on the ball but with Josh Martin and Josh Benson being ineffective the forwards were once again living off scraps.

The reds had clearly not learnt their earlier lesson when Diamond hit the post on a counter attack when the visitors scored in the 3rd minute of first half injury time with a lightning attack. Despite all the possession and clean passing the visiting goalkeeper had not had to make a single save in that first half which summed up the run the reds are in at the moment.

Personally I did not understand why Michael Duff didn't change the formation for this game. The 3-4-3 formation means the midfield is lightweight and offers nothing to the forwards. No player has yet managed to replace Luke Thomas in the number 10 role so I felt it was time to play 2 up top with an extra man in midfield to support Benson and Kane. Yet Duff didn't change his system until very late in the game when the visitors had embedded themselves in and were sitting comfortably.

In the second half Lincoln sensed a second goal would win the game and went about trying to score that goal early on. When the reds should have been swarming all over the visitors, it was Lincoln who again carried the goal threat and not Barnsley.

Whilst Barnsley were comfortable in possession they never carried a goal threat, something that has been an issue for a number of games now. There is no quality in the side to open up the opposition. Josh Martin was ineffective as the man to feed Cole and Norwood. Benson has regressed in the last few weeks to a busy midfielder but lacking a cutting edge to open up defences.

Throughout the game Barnsley did not lay a glove on the opposition. There is no cutting edge, no player who has the guile and craft to play a defence splitting ball to open up defences. Luke Thomas was that player but no other player has stepped up in Thomas`s absence.

As the game entered the last 15 minutes the composure went and resulted in panic play from the reds which got them nowhere and played into the visitors hands, Not one player in red had the composure to settle the side down and drive the side on to an equaliser.

Even when Michael Duff finally changed the system and went to a back four in the 75th minute nothing changed offensively with the reds huffing and puffing but ultimately being very easy to defend against.

Where this leaves Duff I have no idea. He is stuck with a workmanlike side who try hard but do not have what it takes to open up defences in this league. On Saturday Barnsley face newly promoted Forest Green Rovers who will have a point to prove against former players Jack Aitchison, Liam Kitching and Nicky Cadden. Where the goals will come from is anyone's guess.