Leiceser City pay for missed chances against Barnsley

Leicester City's away-day blues continued as they crashed to their third consecutive defeat on the road, this time at struggling Barnsley.

A second-half winner from Hugo Colace stopped City from regaining their position in the play-off places.

With league leaders Newcastle next up for Nigel Pearson's men, their promotion credentials are being severely tested.

City paid the price for not taking their chances when they were on top at Swansea City and last Saturday at Cardiff City in the FA Cup, and it was the same story at Oakwell last night.

City made one change from the side that slumped out of the FA Cup at Cardiff with teenager Ryan McGivern replaced at left-back by 40-year-old Chris Powell, who was making his first league appearance of the season.

Powell's only two previous starts this season were both in the Carling Cup, in August, but McGivern had been struggling in recent weeks and Pearson called on Powell's vast experience to steady the ship as his side sought to avoid a third consecutive defeat for the first time under his managerial reign. The Tykes were also struggling for form under the guidance of former City striker Mark Robins.

The hosts had won only once in their last six league games and had slipped close to the relegation dogfight.

Barnsley also had a poor record against City, for whom Robins scored 17 times in 73 appearances. They had not won or scored in their previous seven matches against City and had not beaten them at Oakwell since 1991.

For the first half-hour, both sides looked like teams struggling for form and confidence. It took that long for either side to carve out an opportunity of note.

It was end-to-end stuff but attack after attack broke down because the final ball just lacked the quality required.

The game came to life in the 29th minute and it was Barnsley who had the first opportunity, although it was not of their own making.

City skipper Matt Oakley gave the ball away in a dangerous area and Nathan Doyle broke quickly and played in former City favourite Iain Hume. But Wayne Brown, who had a commanding first half, snuffed out the danger with a well-timed challenge.

City did have the ball in the net a minute later when Oakley picked out N'Guessan but, typically for this contest, the City winger was offside.

If only N'Guessan could have been more clinical with the two chances he did legitimately have in the first half, but he was wasteful with both.

First, he was presented with virtually an empty net after Luke Steele raced to the edge of the box to deny Martyn Waghorn after a clever pass from Yann Kermorgant. Oakley flicked the loose ball to the Frenchman, but he fired his shot straight at Stephen Foster.

Three minutes before half-time, he was presented with an even better chance when Gallagher picked him out at the back post but he headed frustratingly wide with the goal at his mercy.

Pearson has frequently lamented his side's wastefulness in front of goal and City almost paid the price when Chris Weale was forced to pull off a good reflex save to push away a Hugo Colace header at the back post from a Hume corner.

City started the second half in control and N'Guessan again found himself in a good position when Richie Wellens sent over a teasing cross but his shot was deflected for a corner.

But City had to be alert at the back. In the 53rd minute, Weale tipped a scorching shot over the bar and, from the corner, Gallagher and then Wellens had to clear attempts off the line.

City were on the ropes and Weale had to produce another good save to deny Hammill after Hume had dissected the City defence.

Brown made a rare mistake in the 63rd minute with a weak header back to Weale which was latched upon by Hume but, under pressure from Powell, he shot wide.

Pearson made a double substitution and sent on his tried-and- tested strike partnership of Steve Howard and Matty Fryatt, and it almost paid off when Fryatt won a corner and, from Gallagher's delivery, N'Guessan had another shot blocked.

But the hosts still looked the more likely to break the deadlock and Ryan Shotton flashed a good attempt just past the far post with Weale at full stretch.

Oakley blocked an Anderson De Silva shot from close range.

Pearson made his final move, sending on Andy King for N'Guessan, and the City line-up had a familiar look about it.

However, another superbly-delivered corner from Hume gave Barnsley the breakthrough and it was Colace who finally forced the ball home after Wellens had again done well to defend the goal-line.

De Silva tested Weale again with a long-range attempt 10 minutes from time and Hobbs had to dive in to block Andy Gray's follow-up as City continued to look vulnerable.

City rallied in the final minutes and Foster appeared to handle inside the area, but once again their luck was out.

RESULTS: Bristol City 0 Cardiff 6, Doncaster 1 Middlesbrough 4, Ipswich 1 West Brom 1, Nottm Forest 5 QPR 0, Peterborough 0 Preston 1, Plymouth 1 Derby 0, Sheff Utd 3 Reading 0, Swansea 0 Coventry 0.