It was a performance very typical of the start of last season, very ponderous and lacking in any drive or creativity. Despite having plenty of possession, we missed any real drive in midfield and movement from the front line. The fears about a lack of pace and goal threat in the current squad look justified, especially with Findley omitted from the squad.

At the other end, Barnsley created a number of promising chances but failed to make the most of a number of free headers. Only in the closing stages did they play for a draw and they generally looked more threatening and played with more purpose than ourselves.

Unfortunately we stuck to the 4231 formation throughout and despite having only made 2 substitutions; we stuck to this plan and struggled to cause enough problems. It would have been nice to withdrawn a midfielder and given Tudgay a chance to make an impression in the closing stages. This would have been the sort of the game that Adebola would have joined to change things around but we didn’t seem to have anything different to offer this time.

The decision to play McGoldrick up front on his own was a mistake and it was no surprise when Garner replaced him early into the second half. One mis-guided back-heel on the half-way line didn’t go down too well and he was soon taken off. He looked isolated, was easily dispossessed and grew increasingly frustrated.

It wasn’t all McGoldrick’s fault as McGugan rarely looked like getting close enough to provide the necessary support. It was only in the closing stages when McGugan really got into the game, down the left hand side, as we know he’s capable of. McGugan’s one real chance to shine came after a right wing cross cut out the keeper and left him with a clear sight of goal. Unfortunately, he seemed off balance when shooting and failed to hit the target with a couple of defenders back on the line.

Andy Reid certainly didn’t have the best of starts on his return to the club. A couple of poor free kicks drifting aimlessly over the bar and it just wasn’t happening for him. He looked at his best when picking the ball on the half-way line and running at their defence, unfortunately he lacked any real options and we failed to capitalise.

On the other wide, we were relying on Anderson and Gunter to provide pace into a static front line. Anderson looked pretty much the same as last season, promising lots but too often failing to convert a decent run into creating a chance for a team-mate. Plenty of running with and without the ball but very little end product. Playing with a single striker puts a lot of pressure on the wingers to contribute more than simply staying wide and providing crosses and we’d need a massive improvement if he’s going to achieve this.

There were some positives to be taken from the game though. We looked fairly solid in defence with no obvious weakness from the selection of Cohen at left back. He certainly possesses enough energy to contribute at both ends of the pitch, looks assured on the ball and apart from one short back-pass didn’t cause any problems. There will be tougher opponents in the weeks to come though.

MOTM Boateng was the one to display the level of desire that you’d expect. He contributed at both ends with an energetic performance and certainly doesn’t appear to be here for one last pay day. Despite being the one you’d expect to sit in front of the back four, he seemed to be everywhere, winning the ball back and using it intelligently.

Greening was steady alongside him, showed his quality on the ball but lacked enough creativity going forwards to cause them too many problems. Hopefully we’ll see more of him in the final third as the season progress as he’s obviously got enough talent wherever he plays. Both of these additions are a massive improvement on last season’s McKenna and with Moussi on stand-by we are well stocked in this position.

Majewski certainly looked lively in the last fifteen minutes with a willingness to show for the ball, move the ball quickly and then look for the return pass. With this sort of enthusiasm and quality on the ball, he stood out a mile from the rest of the midfield in the short time he was on the pitch.

Garner also made a difference from the bench, running the channels, earning free kicks but without really looking like scoring - the story of the game really.

Tags: Games Drawn, MOTM George Boateng