‘We never had any control’: Barnsley FC boss frustrated by defeat

​Two goals from Elliott List and one from Carl Piergianni, all in the second half, guided Boro to a second win of the season.

Barnsley manager Clarke simply put it down to a bad day at the office.

He said: “It was a really poor, scruffy performance all round, to be honest with you, and not just my players, myself too.

“We never really had any control in the first half, we had a few opportunities but they weren’t really causing us any problems.

“We defended the box really well but then we had an enforced substitution at half-time with Donovan Pines coming off, he couldn’t see out of his eye because he catches an elbow. We were a little bit weak defending crosses in the second half and then we’re chasing the game. A frustrating afternoon all round.”

List, who has been guilty of some glaring misses this season, made no mistake with a low drive inside Gabriel Slonina’s near post.

That was on 54 minutes and five minutes later another corner doubled the Boro lead, Harvey White delivering perfectly for Carl Piergianni to power in a typical header.

List then wrapped it up after 89 minutes as he turned Louis Thompson’s low cross into the roof of an empty net.

The first half had not been as entertaining with only one shot each. Reid had Stevenage’s in stoppage time, scuffed along the floor to Slonina. Barnsley will point to a glorious chance for Josh Earl on four minutes but he was denied by a good save from Murphy Cooper. Boro manager Alex Revell said: “Barnsley made it really difficult in the first half but the game was a bit scrappy and didn’t really kind of settle down.”

Stevenage: Cooper, James Wildin, Goode, Piergianni, Freestone, Freeman (Phillips 72), King, White (Louis Thompson 72), Roberts (Kemp 73), Reid (Simpson 72), Young (List 52). Unused substitutes: Bouzanis, Butler.

Barnsley: Slonina, Durand de Gevigney, Pines (O’Keeffe 46), Roberts, Earl, Craig (Jalo 60), Cotter (Watters 46), Phillips, Connell, Keillor-Dunn (Benson 67), Cosgrove (Humphrys 60). Unused substitutes: Killip, Lofthouse.

Referee: J Miles (England).