Goater serves up a City delicacy

Barnsley 0 Manchester City 3

Manchester City, declared Kevin Keegan at the weekend, were "ordinary... just another team in the Nationwide League". This they might be in ability but not results. If ever a club lived on the principle of 'trick or treat', it is this one.

After an entirely comfortable victory, the City manager did not dispute his observation but added with typical optimism: "This could be the start of Manchester City's season, there was plenty of invention, spirit and good defending. There is room for improvement but this is the first time we have put a run together."

This was the 11th time this season City had scored three times or more and, although Barnsley displayed some resolve once the game was lost, they were precisely the kind of outfit a side managed by someone of Keegan's impatience needed to meet. Their leaky defence had only kept one clean sheet in the league this season, leading to Nigel Spackman's recent sacking. Faced by a midfield that linked the creativity of Ali Benarbia and Eyal Berkovic, they capitulated long before half-time, by which time City were three up.

Barnsley's stand-in manager, Glyn Hodges, would have reflected that many of their wounds were self-inflicted. Twice Carl Regan allowed himself to be dispossessed and on each occasion a Manchester City goal ensued. In the 14th minute he surrendered the ball to Benarbia and looked up to see a lovely pass from Darren Huckerby find Shaun Goater unmarked in the area. The Bermudan chipped home his 17th goal of the season with surprising delicacy for such a big man.

A minute before the interval, Regan was bundled off the ball by Huckerby, who promptly rifled his shot beyond Kevin Miller and to nobody's surprise the defender did not reappear after the interval. In between these errors, City scored via a bizarre corner from Stuart Pearce that evaded both the keeper and Lucien Mettomo on the near post before nestling in the left-hand corner of the net.

Oakwell would have found the fact that Pearce was the scorer doubly galling since three-quarters of the ground was convinced he had handled when challenging Kevin Gallen for a high ball in his own area and, although Barnsley were outclassed, they did not lack for chances. As early as the seventh minute Peter Sand had shot against Nicky Weaver's legs, Bruce Dyer almost turned in Darren Barnard's low cross and Rory Fallon saw a stoppage-time header tipped over, but realistically, this was a no-contest.

Barnsley (4-4-2): Miller; Regan (Mulligan, h-t), Morgan, Chettle, Barker; Lumsdon, Sand (Neil, h-t), Tinkler, Barnard; Gallen (Fallon, 64), Dyer. Substitutes not used: Gorré, Marriott (gk).

Manchester City (3-5-2): Weaver; Mettomo, Howey, Pearce (Granville, 88); Dunne, Wright-Phillips, Berkovic (Shuker, 71), Benarbia, Tiatto; Huckerby, Goater (Dickov, 76). Substitutes not used: Colosimo, Nash (gk).

Referee: P Joslin (Nottinghamshire).