Source: Daily_Mail
Barnsley 0 Watford 0: Hornets hold on as woodwork twice denies Tykes
Clean sheet: Watford's keeper Scott Loach made vital saves[LNB]Barnsley were left to curse their luck as well as the woodwork as Watford held on for an npower Championship point after a goalless draw at Oakwell. [LNB]Mark Robins' side hit the post twice in a matter of second-half minutes as they pushed for a deserved winner but could not find a way through as the Hornets held on. [LNB]The Tykes remain in midtable, although only three points short of the play-off spots, while the visitors are a further two points back. [LNB]Watford started strongly with on-loan Birmingham midfielder Jordon Mutch registering the first effort on target with a low drive which was well held by Luke Steele. [LNB]The promising opening soon fell flat however as both sides struggled to create in the final third.[LNB] Barnsley's chief attacking threat this season has been former Liverpool winger Adam Hammill and after an anonymous opening half hour he burst into life. [LNB]He cut inside to thump a 30-yard drive into the midriff of Watford's England Under-21 goalkeeper Scott Loach before repeating the trick moments later to send another powerful drive just over the top. [LNB]Mutch then saw another effort at the other end blocked by Tykes centre-half Jason Shackell before Barnsley striker Garry O'Connor fired over the top. [LNB]Malky Mackay threw on Marvin Sordell at the start of the second half as the visitors looked to find a cutting edge but it was Hammill who nearly broke the deadlock just after the hour mark. [LNB]Hammill was fouled by Watford midfielder Stephen McGinn on the edge of the area and curled the resulting free-kick around the wall and past Loach only to see the ball bounce away off the far post. [LNB]The home side were on top and incredibly hit the woodwork again 90 seconds later. [LNB]Hammill's corner was cleared by Adrian Mariappa and Jacob Butterfield lashed in a left-footed strike from the D which again beat Loach but hit the frame of the goal. [LNB]Robins introduced Paul Hayes in an attempt to press home their superiority and the on-loan Preston man was straight into the action. [LNB]Jim O'Brien beat his man on the right-hand side and crossed for Hayes but the striker could not direct his header into the corner and Loach held on. [LNB]O'Connor and Hayes both fired wastefully over from long range in a tense finale before Stephen Foster wasted the last chance for the hosts deep into stoppage time when he rose well to head Kieran Trippier's free-kick over the top.[LNB] Barnsley v Watford: Bristol City v Sheffield United: Scunthorpe v Coventry: Reading v Leeds: QPR v Cardiff: Preston v Millwall: Middlesbrough v Hull: Crystal Palace v Doncaster: Burnley v Derby County: [LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People: Adam Hammill, Paul Hayes, Luke Steele, Garry O'Connor Places: Birmingham, Liverpool, United Kingdom
