Barnsley's impressive run of form continued in the Championship, as they ran out 2-0 winners over Middlesbrough on Saturday.

The Tykes took the lead on the day direct from a corner, as Alex Mowatt's cross deceived Marcus Bettinelli in the Middlesbrough goal after 62 minutes of the contest.

That lead was then doubled with 15 minutes remaining of the match, as Daryl Dike found the back of the Middlesbrough net, to give Valérien Ismaël's side some breathing space on the day.

Barnsley held on to keep a clean sheet in the game, as they picked up three points to strengthen their grip on a play-off spot in the Championship.

They remain fifth in the second-tier standings, but are now five points clear of seventh-placed Reading in the table, which makes for good reading for the Tykes.

Reading dropped vital points in their most recent match, as they were beaten by high-flying Watford at Vicarage Road on Friday evening, in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

Barnsley's Alex Mowatt took to Instagram following their win over Middlesbrough, and labelled it as a 'big win', which is a statement that plenty of the Oakwell faithful are likely to agree with.

Barnsley are set to return to action next weekend, when they take on relegation-threatened Coventry City, in a match they'll be confident of picking up three points from.

 

 

The Verdict: 

It certainly was a big win for the Tykes.

They would have known heading into the game that they needed to pick up three points if they were to extend their advantage over seventh-placed Reading in the Championship table.

Mowatt led from the front in their recent match as well by opening the scoring in the second-half on Saturday. He's been a key player for Barnsley this term, and will be looking to continue to impress as this year's campaign progresses.

If they can continue to pick up points, then they won't have any doubts about a top-six finish in the second-tier this term.