Ferenczi failures cost Barnsley victory
Bill Shankly once warned sides to watch their League status when the romance of the Cup is beguiling all and sundry.
Barnsley managed to put most, if not all thoughts of Chelsea in 10 days out of their minds to eke out a point that could prove far more valuable long term than any date with the former Premier League champions.
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Istvan Ferenczi of Barnsley is tackled by Fitz Hall of Queens Park Rangers
The threat of relegation has crept up on Simon Davey's side while they have thrived in the FA Cup, but they found enough resilience against Queens Park Rangers to suggest their season will not collapse if they cannot do to Avram Grant's side what they did to Liverpool.
One thing is for certain. The profligacy they showed against a team level on points with them just above the Championship relegation scramble will ruin any good work in either competition.
Hungarian forward Istvan Ferenczi chose a bad night to lose his finishing touch.
Two outstanding chances were presented to him and spurned inside the opening half hour, when Barnsley were in control. Lee Camp could not have been more relieved at Ferenczi's first miss inside two minutes.
The Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper lost possession inside his own area but Ferenczi, presented with an open net, took an unnecessary extra touch and his shot was charged down.
Half an hour later Brian Howard, Barnsley's hero of Anfield, produced a fine pass to the right wing where Jamal Campbell- Ryce took the ball, powered to the byline and crossed deep to the far post. However, Ferenczi, with the goal at his mercy from a matter of feet, somehow headed against the outside of the post.
It was as close as either side came to scoring, despite two late penalty appeals against Rangers'
Fitz Hall — one for a sliding tackle on Jon Macken and then when the ball appeared to strike his arm. Davey said: 'We had enough chances to win the game. We just didn't take them.
'I have looked at the video and Jon has been taken down and it was a handball.
'It is a point gained but I am disappointed we did not get all three. We have to forget about the Chelsea game, the important thing is the League. I don't want to talk about the Cup anymore.'
QPR manager Luigi De Canio said: 'We come away thinking 0-0 was the right result. I honestly believe I saw my player take the ball, so I don't think it was a penalty.'
