Barnsley remain at the foot of the table with just three games remaining after a frustrating draw at home to Wigan, meaning they have drawn back to back games for the third time this season – the most in a season since 2016-2017.
It is the lowest Barnsley have been in a league table at this stage of a season since they were bottom with three games to play of the 1964-1965 Third Division campaign. They would go on to draw one and lose two of their final three games and finished in last place.
This was the 15th Barnsley league match to be goal-less at half time this season and fourth to stay that way.
Both meetings with Wigan this season have ended goal-less, the first time Barnsley have drawn 0-0 in both league meetings with a side in the same season since 2005-2006 against Bradford.
Three of the last four Barnsley/Wigan matches have now ended goal-less with a 3-2 win for the Latics in April 2017 in between.
Callum Styles started a Barnsley league game for only the second time – also the 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham – with this game against Wigan the first time he has completed 90 minutes for the Reds.
Wigan’s Daniel Fox was shown a straight red card after 71 minutes – meaning there has been a red card in successive games at Oakwell for the first time since December 2018/January 2019 when Chris Solly was sent off for Charlton and then Adam Chicksen was dismissed for Bradford.
There has also been a red card in both Barnsley/Wigan meetings this season (Ben Williams was red carded for the Reds at the DW) the first time a red card has been shown in both league meetings of a season since 2016-2017 against Birmingham.
There have been five red cards shown in the last 10 meetings between Barnsley and Wigan.
One positive for the Reds was a third successive home Championship clean sheet – 1 more than they had managed in their previous 19 home Championship games (2). It is the first time they have had three successive Oakwell shut-outs at this level since the final home game of 2011-2012 and the opening two home matches of 2012-2013 (Brighton 0-0, Middlesbrough 1-0, Bristol City 1-0)
It is the first time they have kept three successive second tier home clean sheets in the same season since 2010-2011 (Portsmouth 1-0, Watford 0-0, Sheffield United 1-0)
Barnsley have drawn a blank themselves in five of their past eight matches and have failed to score more than once in a game for 10 matches in a row (since a 3-0 win at Fulham) it is their longest such run since a run of 17 between 18th November 2017 and 24th February 2018.
Since football resumed post lockdown clubs have been able to make up to five substitutions, this is the first time Gerhard Struber has only made the previous allowed three.
Barnsley remain winless against Wigan in league competition at Oakwell (D3 L3) Indeed they have beaten the Latics only once ever in a league game (W1 D5 L6) the famous 4-1 at the DW in May 2016 which secured the Reds a place in the League One play-offs.
0-0 is the most common score-line between the two sides, now occurring on four occasions (from 16 contests)
Wigan failed to muster a single shot on target in this game, the second opponent Barnsley have managed to stop this season from testing their goalkeeper after Middlesbrough at Oakwell in February.
Barnsley Team:
13. Jack Walton
14. Kilian Ludewig
18. Michael Sollbauer
6. Mads Andersen
2. Jordan Williams
17. Marcel Ritzmaier
27. Alex Mowatt
28. Elliot Simoes
20. Callum Styles
7. Jacob Brown
9. Cauley Woodrow
Substitutes:
11. Conor Chaplin (for Woodrow 61)
19. Patrick Schmidt (for Ludewig 82)
24. Aapo Halme (for Ritzmaier 87)
Unused Substitutes:
3. Ben Williams, 40. Brad Collins, 22. Clarke Odour, 16. Luke Thomas, 33. Matty Wolfe, 10. Mike Bahre.
Wigan Team:
David Marshall
3 Antonee Robinson
6. Daniel Fox
21. Cedric Kipre
2. Nathan Byrne
5. Sam Morsy
20. Joe Williams
9. Jamal Lowe
30. Kieran Dowell
33. Kal Naismith
19. Kieffer Moore
Substitutions:
38. Joe Gelhardt (for Dowell 74)
11. Gavin Massey (for Lowe 75)
12. Tom Pearce (for Robinson 87)
Unused Substitutes:
18. Gary Roberts, 23. Jamie Jones, 27. Jan Mlakar, 8. Lee Evans, 4. Lewis Macleod, 25. Mihai- Alexandru Dobre.
Wigan assistant manager Leam Richardson said:
"Any points in this league, certainly away from home, are gold. In the current situation it's another positive, another clean sheet and a solid performance, we're moving forward in the direction that we want.
"There's solid performances individually and collectively, so is it deflating? Far from it. We're realistic with the situation other people are facing. We're professional football people. We're trying our best on the football pitch."
Sky Bet Championship results
FRIDAY 10TH JULY 2020
Huddersfield Town (20th) 0-2 Luton Town (23rd)
Bradley 49
Lee 71
Fulham (4th) 2-0 Cardiff City (6th)
Mitrovic pen 35
Onomah 66
SATURDAY 11TH JULY 2020
Charlton Athletic (21st) 0-1 Reading (13th)
Puscas pen 3
Derby County (10th) 1-3 Brentford (3rd)
Watkins 3
Knight 29
Benrahma 49
Benrahma 64
BARNSLEY (24th) 0-0 Wigan Athletic (15th)
Blackburn Rovers (12th) 1-1 West Bromwich Albion (2nd)
Krovinovic 41
Rothwell 63
Hull City (22nd) 0-1 Millwall (9th)
Leonard 2
Middlesbrough (19th) 1-3 Bristol City (11th)
Wells 6
Paterson 42
Wells 79
Assombalonga 82
Preston North End (8th) 1-1 Nottingham Forest (5th)
Grabban pen 5
Stockley 15
Queens Park Rangers (16th) 0-3 Sheffield Wednesday (14th)
Iorfa 5
Windass 45+2
Murphy 78
SUNDAY 12TH JULY 2020
Swansea City (7th) 0-1 Leeds United (1st)
Hernandez 89
Stoke City (17th) 2-0 Birmingham City (18th)
Batth 12
Clucas 45
Barnsley lie in 24th place in the Sky Bet Championship with 43 points from 43 games. We are 21 points outside the Play-Offs, 38 points outside the Automatic Promotion Places, 41 points outside First Place and 3 points inside the Relegation Zone.
Up to 12/7/20
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet Championship Matchday Forty Four: Leeds United v Barnsley, Thursday 16th July 2020. Kick-Off: 5pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet Championship Matchday Forty Five: Barnsley v Nottingham Forest, Sunday 19th July 2020. Kick-Off: 3pm