Glenn Roeder saw his side score three goals for only the second time in his tenure - and then wondered why it wasn't more. City ripped Barnsley to shreds in a stunning second half, having trailed at the break.

Glenn Roeder saw his side score three goals for only the second time in his tenure - and then wondered why it wasn't more.

City ripped Barnsley to shreds in a stunning second half, having trailed at the break. But while three goals was a positive flood compared to recent games, Roeder was still not totally convinced.

"We haven't scored three goals for a little while now, but if truth be known we have let Barnsley get away with it because if we had taken the chances, the clear-cut chances, that we made it could have been embarrassing," he said. "We swamped them in the second half - and the first-half performance wasn't bad either. It's just that we never took any chances and we conceded a rotten goal."

Chances came thick and fast after the break, including one break which ended when Lee Croft crashed a shot against the base of the post.

"The time we broke three against one I was really annoyed at our own players," he said. "At this level three against one has got to be a certain goal. Hitting the post with the effort is not acceptable. Hitting the back of the net is the only thing that is acceptable when you break three against one."

Roeder admitted he had had words with his team at half-time, when they went in trailing to Martin Devaney's 18th-minute opener.

"I was just disappointed with one or two of them," he said. "The goal was particularly poor. We just didn't defend well for the goal, even the fact the goal crept into the net - it shouldn't have done, but I keep the constructive criticism between me and the players and I think that is the right thing to do.

"The important thing was to make sure we started the second half well, that we had momentum. We did and we got the goal, and the first goal was always going to be important. We got back in the game very quickly, but it is unusual for a team, especially away from home, to keep the momentum going for the whole of the second half.

"I would like to know the percentage of possession we had compared with Barnsley's, it must have been huge."

Roeder's half-time instructions were to avoid falling into an old English trait. He explained: "I was very conscious that there are 20 ways to play football but I can't coach what is back to front football, playing off a big striker with one long ball from the back and then feeding on second balls.

"I thought we had spells in the first half of doing that and that is what is unfortunately ingrained in English football. I told them we needed to pass the ball more. Barnsley drop off so deep, give you so much space to play in, there is no point trying to hit the ball over the top, there is no grass to hit. There is no point hitting the ball just aimlessly at Dion Dublin because your midfield can't get up for the knockdowns because the pitch is so big.

"We needed to pass the ball more. I know the two boys in centre midfield for Barnsley. Grant McCann I had at West Ham for two and a half years and I know what his strength is and I know what Brian Howard's strengths and weaknesses are. They want time and space to play in and we made sure that we denied them that. Barnsley tired and we were running riot then."

Roeder added: "It is a good day for the players, a good day for the team, a good day for the club because the travelling support is ridiculously good considering when I came here we were six points adrift at the bottom and we play in front of full houses. What other club would have that sort of support? It's is nice to send them home happy.

"We are gradually getting back to what I feel has to be the minimum requirement away from home - a point from every away game.

"We had one point two months ago from our away games and now we are gradually getting towards what I know is the minimum we have to have, 23 from 23."