Villa woes mount as Bradshaw braces earns Barnsley victory
Tom Bradshaw's clinical double piled the misery on Aston Villa as Barnsley claimed a deserved 3-1 win
The Tykes clinched just their second victory over Villa in their history as they extended the hosts' winless run to nine games.
Adam Armstrong's penalty put the visitors ahead before Bradshaw struck either side of Jonathan Kodjia's effort just before the break
Barnsley's only previous triumph over Villa came in 1998, but they merited this victory which kept them within six points of the Sky Bet Championship play-off places
Defeat left Villa seven points above the relegation zone, despite spending over B#60million this season which was supposed to bring them an instant return to the Premier League
But they are now 19 points adrift of the top six.
Barnsley sold Conor Hourihane and James Bree to Villa last month, but rarely looked second best after riding out some early pressure.
Adam Davies saved from Henri Lansbury after Marc Roberts' mistake, but Villa were routinely restricted to efforts from distance.
Davies tipped over Albert Adomah's drive and claimed Lansbury's shot before the visitors took the lead against the run of play after 25 minutes.
There had been little attacking intent from the Tykes before Marley Watkins advanced into the area and was brought down by Jordan Amavi
The penalty looked soft, but Armstrong shrugged off any controversy to beat Sam Johnstone
It rattled Villa as they struggled to regain momentum and it got worse two minutes before the break when Bradshaw flicked in Andy Yiadom's cross to double Barnsley's lead.
Villa hit back instantly when Kodjia converted Adomah's centre, but Bradshaw restored the visitors' two-goal advantage after the break following some calamitous defending
The hosts failed to deal with a Barnsley free-kick and Bradshaw drilled in from 12 yards
This time there was no immediate response from Villa as Steve Bruce's side continued their freefall.
Source : PA
Source: PA