What is it about Barnsley? For the third time in the space of four months, Nottingham Forest returned home from Oakwell empty-handed.
It was a far better performance than in either of their two previous visits, but Chris Hughton still suffered the same outcome as predecessor Sabri Lamouchi in South Yorkshire.
Late goals from Callum Styles and Cauley Woodrow saw the Reds beaten 2-0, in their second defeat under Hughton. But the final scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story.
Forest reporter Sarah Clapson looks at the big talking points from the game.
Missed chances
From an attacking sense, this was as good as the Reds have played all season. It was a delight to watch, at times.
They were positive, played some nice football and carved out a fair few opportunities.
Barnsley may have hit the crossbar on three occasions, but the visitors were much the better side.
However, they were left without anything to show for their efforts because they simply couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.
That killer instinct wasn’t there.
Miguel Angel Guerrero was “devastated” afterwards, according to teammate Jack Colback, after spurning two of the Reds’ best chances.
Hughton put it down to confidence, with the summer signing yet to grab his first goal in the Garibaldi.
But there were other moments, too.
As has been the case a few times this term, Forest came up against a goalkeeper in inspired form; Jack Walton thwarting Joe Lolley and Lyle Taylor, while Ryan Yates had a header ruled out.
Going forward is where the Reds have struggled to fully click. The manager could certainly take a lot of encouragement from Saturday afternoon, but not making all that good work count for something proved costly.
Midfield debate
Who should fill that crucial midfield axis seems to be a topic which crops up most seasons.
A couple of years ago it was argued Colback and Ben Watson couldn’t play together; now plenty of fans suggest the same applies to Colback and Yates.
For 85 minutes at Oakwell, though, Forest were on top and putting in one of their best displays of the season with Colback and Yates both in the side.
It was a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal which cost them points, not the fact Colback and Yates were picked in the XI.
Neither played badly. Colback sometimes seems to get criticised simply for doing his job, breaking up play rather than being an all-action, box-to-box midfielder - that’s not what he’s there for.
It shouldn’t simply be written off as a partnership.
But, having said that, it does need a bit of work.
Hughton needs to find the right balance in the centre of the pitch, whether that be tweaking how Colback and Yates operate or looking at his different options.
Back to his best
Lolley is an absolute menace for defenders when he’s on top form. And he was pretty close to that against the Tykes.
Injury issues hampered the winger at the back end of last term and in the opening weeks of this campaign.
He has set such high standards for himself that it sticks out when he suffers a dip.
This weekend, though, he was brilliant and caused the hosts all sorts of problems. They struggled to lay a glove on him at times. Those trademark mazy runs had Barnsley backpedalling.
As an attacking unit, overall there was some lovely link-up play between Lolley, Anthony Knockaert, Guerrero and Taylor.
Fans have expressed concerns about Forest being too negative previously, but you couldn’t say that on Saturday.
There are times when Hughton will no doubt want them to be more cautious, but play like that and more often than not the results will surely come.
Boss’ substitutions
This weekend saw Football League clubs able to make up to five changes, from a nine-man bench - as was the case after the restart last season.
Hughton, though, opted for just the one, with Luke Freeman replacing Guerrero.
The reasoning, he said, was because he was generally happy with how things were going. He felt his team were creating chances and playing well, and didn’t see the need to change that.
Would it have made any difference if he had?
It’s difficult to say. But other than Freeman, the manager didn’t have too many attacking options available on the bench; not too many players who you might think could change the game.
Sammy Ameobi and Cafu might have offered something, but with Alex Mighten recovering from a slight injury, Hughton had more defenders than attackers among his substitutes.
Games ahead
Twelve games in, Forest are not where they’d want to be in the Championship table, languishing in 20th spot.
There’s not much in it, though, at this early stage. Just six points separate them from eighth-placed Middlesbrough.
The Reds will play worse than they did on Saturday and win games.
That result was tough to take, Hughton and his players were visibly gutted at the final whistle.
However, once the dust has settled and they analyse those 90 minutes, they can reflect on some positives.
They do seem to be taking steps forward, even if there is some way to go.
Their next few fixtures will be a real test - coming up against five of the current top six.
The Reds do have a tendency to lift their game against those kind of sides.
It’s a tough run, no doubt about it, and it could be a decisive one, too.
