Head coach Daniel Stendel believes the level of their opponents was irrelevant as Barnsley ran riot and progressed to the second round of the FA Cup with a 7-2 win against Aldershot.

A Cameron McGeehan hat-trick, Vimal Yoganathan brace and one each from Reyes Cleary and Rylan Brownlie ensured the Reds did not slip up, with Anisius Lewis scoring twice for the National League visitors.

Stendel said: “I know it’s a National League team, but it doesn’t matter. You have to play like we play today, and we really focused a long time in the game, and we scored some really good goals.”

McGeehan opened the scoring in the 20th minute, heading in from inside the area, before Cleary doubled Barnsley’s lead six minutes later. Yoganathan then bagged a brace in the final 12 minutes of the half as the Reds led 4-0 at the break.

McGeehan added his second and Barnsley’s fifth on 62 minutes, then completed his hat-trick five minutes later after a well-worked corner.

Lewis pulled one back in the 75th minute and scored again 11 minutes later, chipping the ball in both times. Brownlie notched Barnsley’s seventh a minute later with a great curling strike.

On McGeehan, Stendel added: “I’m really happy for him that he scored three goals. He pushes himself every day in every training session.”

Aldershot manager Scott Davies thought his side could have caused an upset but admits it was a tough afternoon.

He said: “I don’t know if I expected too much. I really felt we could cause an upset.

“I felt we were in a good place and had a good week of training.

“They were so clinical in the first half. In the second half I thought we were better.

“The supporters were absolutely outstanding. The ovation we got having lost 7-2 was incredible.”