Barnsley 0, Norwich City 0

David Cuffley

Goalkeeper David Marshall proved to be the Norwich City hero again when he saved a first half penalty to earn his side a point from a goalless draw at Barnsley.

The spot kick was awarded after 13 minutes for handball against Matty Pattison, but Marshall dived to his left to keep out Jon Macken's kick.

Barnsley dominated the opening half, in which Marshall made two more important saves, and the closest the Canaries came to breaking the deadlock was a header by Antoine Sibierski which was brilliantly saved by Heinz Muller.

The second half was less eventful, although winger Lee Croft almost caught out Muller with a dangerous cross to the near post.

Manager Glenn Roeder introduced Jamie Cureton and Wes Hoolahan during the second period but City had to settle for a point and their performance did not really merit all three.

City boss Roeder made one change to his starting 11 from the 1-0 win over Sheffield United with Adam Drury omitted to allow for the return of Dejan Stefanovic, who recovered from a calf injury.

Stefanovic was expected to play at centre half with Jonathan Grounds switching to left back.

Matty Pattison recovered from a hamstring injury to keep his place in midfield, but striker Arturo Lupoli, substituted last week with hamstring trouble, was not included in the 16.

Drury had to settle for a place on the bench, where there was a recall for Omar Koroma, who scored for the reserves in midweek.

Midfielder Darel Russell was making his 200th senior appearance for the Canaries.

There was a big surprise in the Barnsley team with skipper Brian Howard not included in the 16.

Instead, there was a recall for Diego Leon, while the other change was in attack where Jon Macken was preferred to Kayode Odejayi.

City, wearing their all black away kit for the first time, kicked off in bright sunshine but they were almost a goal down inside 30 seconds. Colace attempted an extraordinary shot from just inside the Norwich half and it was dipping under the crossbar before Marshall leapt backwards and just managed to palm the ball over the bar for a corner.

From the resulting kick, Foster got in a header which stuck Stefanovic before Marshall was able to collect.

It was a bright start by the home side and Macken threatened next with a header from a Colace free-kick, but Marshall was right behind it.

Norwich won a corner as they broke for the first time, but Pattison's kick was a poor one and was easily cleared.

A foul by Fotheringham on Leon gave Barnsley a free-kick on the halfway line and when Kozluk floated the ball in, it was cleared only as far as Macken, whose first time shot was charged down.

A neat passing move by the hosts was brought to a sudden end when Russell made a timely challenge on Leon but still Barnsley pressed forward and Pattison made a vital block from a powerful low drive by Campbell-Ryce.

Pattison then earned a word from the referee for a foul on Campbell-Ryce and the City man was certainly in trouble in the 13th minute when a header from Moore appeared to strike his hand and the official pointed straight to the penalty spot. Macken stepped up to take the kick but Marshall, diving to his left, managed to palm away his side foot effort.

All the action was in the Norwich goalmouth and Marshall next did well to keep out a powerful shot from Leon, appearing to turn it onto the post.

Macken then headed just over as he tried to make amends for his failure from the spot.

Macken made another opportunity for himself after 17 minutes when he got the better of Omozusi but hooked his shot horribly wide.

In a rare City attack, Sibierski tried to shoot from just outside the penalty area but sliced his effort well wide of the target.

Norwich won a free-kick when De Silva fouled Pattison midway into the Barnsley half and Stefanovic got his head to Fotheringham's kick, but was wide of Muller's left hand post.

There was another free-kick when Grounds tripped Campbell-Ryce just inside the Norwich half and Kozluk's kick drifted through a crowd of players before Marshall gratefully grabbed the loose ball.

A determined run by Campbell-Ryce took him past three challenges before he found Leon on the right, but Leon's poor cross was cut out by Grounds.

The first 25 minutes had been dominated by Barnsley and little had been seen of the Canaries as an attacking force.

That very nearly changed after 26 minutes when the home side were saved by keeper Muller. Pattison found Bertrand on the left and his cross was met with a firm goal bound header by Sibierski, but Muller somehow managed to palm the ball away right handed, to a huge ovation from the home crowd.

Stefanovic was lucky moments later when he upended Campbell-Ryce in full flight but instead of a Barnsley free-kick, they were penalised for offside and the City defender escaped what may well have been a yellow card.

Marshall had to be alert again to thwart an attempted one-two between Hume and Leon as Barnsley threatened yet again.

With 31 minutes gone, City won only their second corner but Fotheringham's kick was met with an awful header from Grounds which finished nearer the corner flag than the goal.

Omozusi fouled Colace to concede another free-kick but Leon's attempt to find Macken was unsuccessful and his pass ran out for a goal kick.

In the next attack, Leon found Hume by the right hand corner flag and his cross reached Colace at the far post but after he chested it down, his final shot was high and wide.

The game had entered a more scrappy stage and there was yet another free-kick when Stefanovic pulled down Macken. When the referee was finally satisfied with the position of the Norwich wall, Leon stepped up to curl a right foot shot just wide.

Bertrand won a free-kick on the left of the Barnsley area as City counterattacked and Fotheringham played it square to Pattison, but his attempt to roll his shot through a crowded goalmouth was doomed from the start and the defence were able to clear.

A high challenge by Kozluk caught Sibierski on his right leg and the Barnsley man appeared lucky to escape a booking. Sibierski needed treatment before Pattison curled the resulting free-kick into the arms of Muller.

In first half stoppage time, a poor attempt to clear on the edge of the Norwich area let in De Silva and although Marshall failed to hold his powerful shot, City were able to scramble the ball away and reach the interval on terms

t Half-time: Barnsley 0, Norwich City 0

As City pushed forward after the restart, Grounds tried to find Russell with a long ball down the left but Moore got there first to hammer the ball into the stands.

Macken tried to find Hume as Barnsley hit back but his long through ball was headed clear by Marshall as he raced from his line.

Back came City, winning a free-kick when Moore fouled Russell. Otsemobor took it but his right foot shot was a couple of yards wide.

Norwich won another free-kick on the corner of the Barnsley penalty area when Croft was tripped by Hume and the winger needed attention. Fotheringham took the kick, rolling it into the path of Sibierski, but he scuffed his shot and Barnsley cleared easily.

A touch by Macken almost let in Hume but he was crowded out at the expense of a corner, which was headed away by Grounds.

Fotheringham was way off target with a volley as the visitors pushed forward and, apart from Sibierski's header in the first half, Norwich had seldom threatened.

Grounds needed attention to his knee after a solid challenge by De Silva, but he was able to continue after treatment.

There was almost a farcical own goal 10 minutes after the break when Muller played the ball out to Foster on the right and he knocked it back past the keeper, but just the wrong side of the post for a corner. Fotheringham's kick presented Muller with an easy catch, however.

Otsemobor came to City's rescue as Barnsley broke quickly, his tackle robbing Hume as the striker moved onto a pass from Leon.

With an hour gone, Roeder, who had been on the touchline the whole afternoon, made his first change by sending on Cureton in place of Pattison. Cureton joined Sibierski up front with Russell dropping into midfield.

The home team went close again when Macken again found Hume but Otsemobor did just enough to smother the danger.

Referee Miller finally produced the yellow card after 64 minutes when Colace was booked for tripping Croft as the winger tried to break clear from the edge of his own penalty area.

Cureton was not too far away from getting in a shot after Sibierski flicked on Marshall's long kick, but Muller just got there first.

Midway through the half, an excellent move involving Fotheringham, Sibierski, Bertrand and Cureton almost produced the breakthrough for Norwich when Croft sent in a menacing cross from the right which almost beat Muller at his near post, the keeper having to move smartly to his left to turn the ball away.

Barnsley made their first change when Colace was withdrawn and replaced by Devaney, who took up a position wide on the right.

Croft tried to catch out Muller again when he broke clear and aimed for the near post, but a centre towards the waiting Cureton and Sibierski might have been the better option.

Barnsley made another change after 73 minutes when Macken, who had been on the floor receiving treatment, made way for Odejayi and handed the captain's armband to Foster as he walked off.

With 15 minutes to go, Roeder made another change with Hoolahan replacing Croft, a decision which did not seem very popular with the visiting fans, of whom there were more than 1,400.

Bertrand was well off target with an ambitious long range effort as City looked for that elusive goal.

Odejayi got into the action for the first time with 11 minutes left when he jumped to meet a high ball from Foster, but directed his header past the post.

Sibierski missed one opportunity to put Norwich ahead when he headed over from Bertrand's cross following good work by Hoolahan.

The home crowd were desperately trying to lift their side as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Hume won a corner with a clever back heel which went out off Omozusi and the kick was played short to Leon, who wriggled his way into the Norwich area but fired across the face of the goal when he might have done better.

City, looking for a late winner of their own, forced a couple of corners in quick succession, the second of them after Moore headed narrowly over his own bar from a Cureton cross. But Norwich's dead ball routines had been pretty poor all afternoon.

As the game entered the last two minutes, City won a free-kick on halfway which was taken by Stefanovic but was easily cleared.

Devaney tried his luck from the edge of the area in the final minute but his weak effort was easily saved by Marshall.

City won another corner in stoppage time when Otsemobor's cross took a deflection. Hoolahan took the kick but Foster headed clear.

t Result: Barnsley 0, Norwich City 0

t Attendance: 12,324

t MoM: David Marshall