Tranmere progressed to the second round of the Carabao Cup after defeating League One Barnsley 7-6 on penalties following a 2-2 draw at Oakwell.
Luke Norris and Sam Taylor gave the visitors the lead either side of the break, with Herbie Kane and Aiden Marsh twice equalising for the Tykes.
Rovers’ early persistence paid off in the 24th minute, breaking the deadlock through a well-worked free-kick routine. Jake Leake’s ball into the box was headed back across goal by Tom Davies for Norris to guide home.
The hosts levelled three minutes into first-half stoppage time when Jon Russell broke into the box from the right, cutting back to Kane whose shot was spilled in by Joe Murphy.
Rovers regained the lead two minutes after the break. A succession of chances saw Taylor strike the crossbar before finding the far corner from the edge of the box moments later.
Neill Collins’ young Barnsley side remained resilient and found the leveller in the eighth minute of injury time as Charlie Winfield’s cross was flicked in by Marsh.
After the shootout reached sudden death, Paul Lewis’ success from the spot meant that Jack Shepherd’s following miss resulted in defeat for Barnsley.
