The Tykes and the Bluebirds took a point each from a tough match at Oakwell on Tuesday evening.
Brian Barry-Murphy made five changes to the side that faced Lincoln City on Saturday with Calum Scanlon making his full City debut, while Calum Chambers, Dylan Lawlor, Perry Ng and Chris Willock were also welcomed into the starting XI.
City began the game quickly and opened the scoring 11 minutes in. Alex Robertson's excellent cross field pass was controlled by Ollie Tanner, who found Rubin Colwill with his cut-back. Rubin made no mistake with his first time finish, slotting home.
The Bluebirds could've doubled their advantage four minutes later with Tanner involved again. Scanlon's delightful ball from the left found Tanner rushing in, but he couldn't hit the target with his effort.
The game did a 180 as Barnsley levelled the game 22 minutes in, with Scott Banks scoring following a dangerous counter attack. The hosts pressed on with this momentum and should've scored their second of the evening after 38 minutes. The in-form David McGoldrick was found in plenty of space, but he failed to test Nathan Trott one-on-one, firing over the bar.
City benefitted from the interval, with Barnsley's control over the game quelled after the restart. Substitute Cian Ashford saw his effort saved by Barnsley goalkeeper Owen Goodman just after the hour mark, while Omari Kellyman headed just wide after 64 minutes.
Both Barry-Murphy and his Barnsley counterpart, Conor Hourihane, looked to the substitutes bench for game changers. Callum Robinson and David Turnbull added to the earlier introductions of Joel Bagan and the aforementioned Ashford with 20 minutes to go. Hourihane introduced the league's top assist provider Reyes Cleary.
Turnbull attempted to provide that magic spark with 15 minutes remaining. His powerful strike from 25-yards drifted just off target.
Barnsley's first real opportunity of the second half came to their in-form man, McGoldrick. The ball fell the way of the forward following a ricochet off Lawlor in a good position. Trott was switched on though to keep the shot out. The same man struck a dipping ball with four minutes remaining, failing to hit the target.
After 90+ minutes, the two sides couldn't be separated. The Bluebirds will return to action this weekend at Exeter City.
FINAL SCORE: BARNSLEY 1-1 CARDIFF CITY
Barnsley: Goodman, O'Keeffe, de Gevigney, Shepherd, O'Connell, Bland (Watson 89'), Connell, Banks (Phillips 65'), Yoganathan, McGoldrick, Bradshaw (Cleary 65'). Subs Not Used: Flavell, Ogbeta, Gent, Lennon.
Cardiff City: Trott, Ng, Lawlor (Fish 80'), Chambers, Scanlon (Bagan 56'), Wintle, Robertson (Turnbull 69'), R.Colwill, Tanner, Willock (Ashford 56'), Kellyman (Robinson 69'). Subs Not Used: Kpakio, J.Colwill.