All’s well at Oakwell as Cauley Woodrow boosts Barnsley beyond Wycombe

Barnsley racked up a fourth win in their last six matches at Oakwell by overcoming Wycombe 2-1.

Cauley Woodrow’s penalty – his seventh goal of the season – settled matters after a Joe Jacobson spot-kick had cancelled out Callum Styles’ first-half opener for the Tykes.

The defeat meant Wycombe have still not won at the South Yorkshire stadium on any of their four visits.

During a scrappy opening, an edge-of-the-box effort from on-loan Leicester midfielder Matty James lacked the venom to trouble Wycombe keeper Ryan Allsop, while Josh Knight’s header bounced tamely wide after Jack Walton’s poor punch from a Jason McCarthy corner at the other end.

Alex Mowatt also directed a 25-yard volley straight at Walton and Callum Brittain flashed a shot wide of the neat post from an unfavourable angle.

Moments later, Mads Anderson prodded wide from six yards after Conor Chaplin’s miscued volley from James’ corner, before the hosts took the lead on the half-hour mark.

Brittain’s searching diagonal pass from right to left picked out Styles and the 20-year-old winger composed himself before firing a low 12-yard shot across goal and into the bottom corner.

Two minutes later, Woodrow had a decent chance to double the advantage but he snatched at his 15-yard attempt, only calling Allsop into a routine save.

But just before the interval the former Fulham forward did go on to sting Allsop’s hands at his near post with an angled drive.

Wycombe came out for the second half with greater purpose and David Wheeler’s near-post header from an inswinging McCarthy corner had to be palmed away by Walton before the visitors drew level in the 53rd minute.

A no-nonsense, up-and-under into the home box from close to the halfway line by Jack Grimmer saw Aapo Halme and Gareth McCleary collide with each other and referee Geoff Eltringham pointing to the spot.

Jacobson then blasted into the roof of the net from 12 yards as Walton dived to his left.

But, after Halme controlled James’ corner on his chest and volleyed wide, Barnsley were back in front a minute past the hour, with McCleary this time giving away a penalty, clipping the heels of Luke Thomas as he latched on to a Chaplin ball through the right channel.

Woodrow went on to emphatically convert the resulting spot-kick low to Allsop’s right.

Wycombe continued to take a direct approach as they looked to restore parity again with Knight volleying over after Adebayo Akinfenwa had unnerved the home defence in their 18-yard area, but the hosts were only denied a third late on when Allsop saved well from Austrian striker Dominik Frieser.