Manchester City v Barnsley Carling Cup 2nd Round 2004/05

City Waterreus, Mills, Sun, Distin, Thatcher, S Wright-Phillips, Flood, Bosvelt, Barton, Sibierski, Macken – subs Ellegaard(unused), Sommeil(45), Jordan(45), B Wright-Phillips(45), Croft(unused)

Barnsley Colgan. Burns, Hassell, Kay, R Williams, T Williams, Shuker, McPhail, Wroe, Chopra, Conlon- subs Boulding(31), Nardiello(66), Stallard(unused), Tonge(unused), Scarsella(unused)

Article from The City Programme 9th March 2013
BARNSLEY arrived at what was then the City of Manchester Stadium for the second round of the Carling Cup knowing they faced an uphill task to progress in the competition.
Kevin Keegan picked a strong side for the tie and the Tykes brought more than 5,000 fans across the Pennines to swell a disappointing crowd to just under 20,000. The Blues had made an average start to the 2004/05 campaign, taking seven points from a possible 18 and needed a confidence-booster with a seemingly difficult campaign ahead, but few could have expected the goal-feast that was to follow.

Barnsley were more than holding their own in the opening exchanges and with 20 minutes gone, the score was still 0-0, but that was as good as it got as City then banged five goals past Tykes’ keeper Colgan in the space of 24 Frantic minutes to render the tie as good as over by the break.

Joey Barton started the rout on 21 minutes with a typical cracker from distance and with Shaun Wright—Phillips causing mayhem in the visitors’ defence, Jon Macken and Willo Flood both scored to make it 3-0 by the 33rd minute. Bansley’s rearguard looked shell-shocked and there was worse to come as Wright-Phillips sent a delightful chip over Colgan to make it 4-0 on 36 minutes and Macken doubled his tally a minute before the break for a fifth. Memories of the 10-goal haul against another South Yorkshire side came flooding back for those who witnessed the 10-1 win over Huddersfield in 1987, with some wondering if they might be about to see another historic evening.

Barnsley,, with only pride to play for, started the second-half in the best manner possible with goal within 90 seconds of the re-start and the scorer, former City player Barry Conlon, enjoyed the moment and earned a generous (if siightly patronising!) reception from the home fans.

The visiting fans chanted they were on For a 6-5 victory, but within 10 minutes, City’s five-goat cushion had been restored with Antoine Sibierski giving the irrepressible Wright—Phiilips his third assist of the night to make it 6-1 on 56 minutes.

Managed by boyhood City supporter Paul Hart, the son of former City player and manager Johnny Hart, Barnsley put up a better show as Kevin Keegan’s side took their foot off the gas, but Sibierski added a seventh six minutes from time to rub salt in the Tykes‘ wounds to complete the rout and make it 7-1 on the night.

For the home fans who came out on a cold early autumn evening, the trip had been well worthwhile. For the travelling thousands, they returned home knowing they‘d accepted the defeat in good heart, painful though it had been.