Keillor-Dunn Double Fires Tykes Clear of Relegation Zone

Barnsley 3-1 Stevenage
League One - Saturday 31st January

A proper performance at last. Barnsley won 3-1 against Stevenage, with Davis Keillor-Dunn bagging a brace that reminded everyone why half the Championship have been sniffing around. We started fast, weathered their comeback attempt, and closed it out like a team that actually knows what they're doing.

McGoldrick shows his class

The first minute nearly set the tone perfectly when McGoldrick thought he'd opened his account, only for the linesman to spoil the party with an offside flag. No matter though, because our veteran striker wasn't about to let poor defending go unpunished. When Carl Piergianni made a hash of what should have been routine clearance work, McGoldrick pounced like a man who's seen it all before. Fourteen minutes on the clock, and we had the lead our early pressure deserved.

The atmosphere lifted immediately. There's nothing quite like an early goal to settle nerves that have been frayed by too many disappointing afternoons. McGoldrick's experience showed in that finish – no panic, just the calm certainty of someone who's been finding the net since some of our squad were learning their times tables.

Keillor-Dunn turns on the style

If McGoldrick's opener was about veteran nous, Keillor-Dunn's first was pure individual brilliance. The lad picked up possession in his own half and set off on one of those runs that had the Ponty End on their feet before he'd even reached the penalty area. Stevenage's defence parted like they were offering directions rather than trying to stop him, and his finish clipped the post before nestling in the corner with the inevitability of a Monday morning.

Two-nil up after half an hour, and for once it felt deserved rather than fortunate. We were moving the ball with purpose, pressing as a unit, and looking like a team that belonged in the top half rather than one constantly glancing over their shoulders at the relegation zone. The confidence was spreading through the side like warmth from a proper Yorkshire brew.

Stevenage hit back (naturally)

Of course, it couldn't stay that simple. Six minutes after Keillor-Dunn's stunner, we handed Stevenage a lifeline wrapped in a bow. Luca Connell's pass went astray at exactly the wrong moment, Jamie Reid capitalised with the predatory instincts you'd expect from a striker worth his salt, and suddenly Dan Kemp was firing past Goodman to halve the deficit.

The goal came with that sickening familiarity of defensive lapses we've grown far too accustomed to this season. One moment of carelessness, and suddenly the comfortable cushion becomes a nervy single-goal lead heading into the break. It's the sort of mistake that can derail entire performances, turning confident displays into anxious scrambles.

Second-half composure

Here's the thing though – we didn't crumble. Three minutes into the second period, Keillor-Dunn restored our two-goal advantage with the kind of predatory finish that explains why his phone keeps ringing. Banks provided the assist, but it was our striker's anticipation that made the difference, beating Filip Marschall to the loose ball and rolling it into an empty net with the composure of someone operating on a different wavelength to everyone else.

That second goal killed Stevenage's momentum stone dead. They'd arrived hoping to build on that late first-half strike, but instead found themselves chasing shadows again. The stats might show they edged possession and won more aerial duels, but football isn't played on spreadsheets. When it mattered, we were clinical and they weren't.

Keeping things tight

The remainder of the match passed without major incident, which was precisely what we needed. Watson picked up an early booking that could have complicated matters, and both Shepherd and Goodman found their way into the referee's notebook during a tetchy second-half period, but defensive discipline held firm when required.

Stevenage huffed and puffed without seriously threatening an equaliser. Their seven corners to our three tells its own story about territorial advantage, but Goodman in goal had a relatively quiet afternoon despite the visitors' statistical superiority. Sometimes the numbers lie, and this was one of those occasions where controlled game management trumped frantic possession statistics.

The performance offers genuine reasons for optimism heading into February. When Keillor-Dunn plays like this, we look a completely different proposition going forward. Add McGoldrick's experience and there's the foundation for something more substantial than mere survival scrapping.

Team Line-ups:

Barnsley (3 - 4 - 2 - 1):
O. Goodman, T. Watson, J. Shepherd, E. O'Connell, P. Kelly, L. Connell, S. Banks, C. O'Keeffe, R. Cleary, D. McGoldrick, D. Keillor-Dunn
Subs: J. Bland, T. Chirewa, M. de Gevigney, K. Flavell, N. Ogbeta, M. Roberts, V. Yoganathan
Goals: D. McGoldrick (14'), D. Keillor-Dunn (31'), D. Keillor-Dunn (48')
Yellow Cards: T. Watson (7'), J. Shepherd (65'), O. Goodman (66')

Stevenage (5 - 3 - 2):
F. Marschall, L. Freestone, C. Piergianni, D. Sweeney, S. Earley, J. Pattenden, D. Kemp, H. White, D. Phillips, J. Roberts, J. Reid
Subs: T. Ashby-Hammond, C. Campbell, H. Cornick, J. Houghton, B. Lubala, P. Patterson, L. Thompson
Goals: D. Kemp (37')
Yellow Cards: H. Cornick (65'), B. Lubala (66')

Match Stats:

Statistic	Barnsley	Stevenage
Possession	45.2%	54.8%
Shots	12	11
Shots on target	6	1
Goalkeeper saves	0	3
Aerial duels won	25	36
Fouls committed	13	11
Corners	3	7

Final Whistle

Three points that actually felt earned rather than stumbled upon – what a novelty. This wasn't one of those backs-to-the-wall victories that leave you wondering how we've managed to nick it, but a proper display of controlled aggression that suggested we might finally be remembering how to play football. When Keillor-Dunn's in this kind of form, turning defenders inside out and finishing with the clinical precision that's got half the division's scouts permanently camped in our car park, we look like a completely different animal.

The lad's now sitting on sixteen goals for the season, and performances like this only strengthen the inevitable summer speculation. But for now, he's ours, and days like these remind you why losing him would be such a kick in the teeth. McGoldrick's experience anchoring the attack, Keillor-Dunn providing the dynamism – it's a partnership that could yet drag us well clear of any relegation concerns if we can maintain this level of application.

Most importantly, we didn't panic when Stevenage pulled one back. That second-half response, with Keillor-Dunn's quickfire winner killing their momentum stone dead, spoke to a mental resilience that's been conspicuously absent too often this season. Hourihane will know there's still plenty of work ahead, but this felt like the kind of comprehensive performance that can shift the trajectory of an entire campaign. Long may it continue.