Early 2025 optimism is quickly waning as Barnsley have now followed four successive victories from the end of 2024 into the start of 2025 with back to back league defeats for the second time this season.
This defeat saw them concede in injury time to lose a game for the second time this season (also another 1-0 defeat, at Wrexham in December) and the first time it has occurred at Oakwell since September 2015 when Shrewsbury won 2-1.
This was Barnsley’s ninth league defeat of the season, at least two more than any other side currently in the division’s top six.
The goal conceded was their 37th in League One so far, at least nine more than any other top six outfit.
It was their fifth home reverse – only now two less than they suffered in the whole of 2023-2024.
This was Barnsley’s seventh league match to be 0-0 at half time this season and they have now gone on to win only one (3-1 at Peterborough) with this the fifth defeat and second against Stevenage.
Stevenage are the first team to do a league double over Barnsley in 2024-2025 – only two teams (Portsmouth and Blackpool) achieved this feat last season.
It is the first season since 2021-2022 that a team has completed a league double over the Reds with two clean sheets – Bournemouth and Blackpool achieving this feat that season in the Championship.
This was the second time this season Barnsley have lost a league game at home 1-0, the most in a season since 2021-2022 (4)
Barnsley have now failed to score in six league games this season, already two more than in the entirety of 2023-2024, four of those have come at home, one more than in 2023-2024.
The win for Stevenage continued their remarkable away record this season, they have now kept four successive clean-sheets on the road, (out of seven in total from 11 games) whilst each of their last four away games have been 0-0 after 90 minutes (the preceding three finished this way)
Out of the seven away games Stevenage have not lost, two have finished 1-0 and five 0-0.
Stevenage are the only team in League One who are still in single figures for both goals scored and conceded away from home (4-8) meaning they are both the lowest scorers and lowest conceders on their travels – Rotherham are the only other side in single figures for goals scored (9)
Barnsley meanwhile have now kept only four clean sheets in their last 29 home league games.
Mael de Gevigney missed the game, ending a run 62 successive league games where he played every minute.
Barnsley have now lost three of their four meetings with Stevenage – they won the first one 2-1 back in December 2023 but have then gone on to lose both at the Lamex and this one at Oakwell.
Both the first two meetings finished 2-1 however Stevenage have kept clean sheets in the subsequent two to record the first league double in this head-head.
Conor McCarthy picked up Barnsley’s 50th second half yellow card this season (excluding ones that resulted in red cards)
There has been 18 fouls committed in each of Barnsley’s last four matches and in seven matches in total this season.
Barnsley Team:
23. Ben Killip
21. Conor McCarthy
4. Marc Roberts
32. Josh Earl
7. Corey O’Keeffe
8. Adam Phillips
50. Kelechi Nwakali
48. Luca Connell
22. Neil Farrugia
36. Max Watters
40. Davis Keillor-Dunn
Substitutes:
17. Georgie Gent (for Farrugia 67)
44. Stephen Humphrys (for Phillips 71)
3. Jon Russell (for Connell 83)
Unused Substitutes:
12. Jackson Smith, 5. Donovan Pines, 15. Kyran Lofthouse, 9. Sam Cosgrove
Stevenage Team:
13. Murphy Cooper
2. Luther Wildin
15. Charlie Goode
5. Carl Piergianni
16. Lewis Freestone
11. Jordan Roberts
22. Daniel Phillips
10. Daniel Kemp
18. Harvey White
30. Jake Young
19. Jamie Reid
Substitutions:
26. Eli King (for White 66)
17. Elliott List (for Young 67)
9. Louis Appere (for Roberts 87)
Unused Substitutes:
1. Taye Ashby-Hammond, 14. Kane Smith, 7. Nick Freeman
Sky Bet League One Results:
Thursday 23rd January 2025:
Wrexham (3rd) 1-1 Birmingham City (1st)
Rathbone 9
Dykes 18
Saturday 25th January 2025:
Cambridge United (22nd) 3-2 Mansfield Town (12th)
Morrison 1
Stokes pen 7
Loft 47
Maris 61
Gregory pen 90+1
Huddersfield Town (4th) 0-1 Bolton Wanderers (9th)
Collins 55
BARNSLEY (6th) 0-1 Stevenage (15th)
Kemp 90+2
Burton Albion (21st) 4-2 Rotherham United (13th)
Sibley 2
Bodvarsson 8
Sweeney 39
Bodvarsson 41
McKiernan 47
Green 61
Charlton Athletic (10th) 1-0 Shrewsbury Town (24th)
Small 90+6
Exeter City (17th) 1-3 Blackpool (14th)
Hamilton 33
Bloxham 43
Fletcher 45+1
Alli 82
Leyton Orient (7th) 2-0 Reading (8th)
Markanday 29
Kelman 51
Lincoln City (11th) 5-1 Peterborough United (19th)
Jefferies 12
Bayliss 33
Draper pen 55
Jones 60
Hayes og 66
Collins 82
Stockport County (5th) 2-0 Crawley Town (23rd)
Collar 25
Southam-Hales 34
Wigan Athletic (16th) 2-0 Bristol Rovers (18th)
Carragher 6
Smith 70
Wycombe Wanderers (2nd) 0-0 Northampton Town (20th)
Barnsley lie in 6th place in Sky Bet League One with 42 points from 27 games. We are 1 point inside the Play-Offs, 13 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 15 points off First Place and 21 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 27/1/25
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Twenty Eight: Wycombe Wanderers v Barnsley, Tuesday 28th January 2025. Kick Off: 7:45pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Twenty Nine: Barnsley v Burton Albion, Saturday 1st February 2025. Kick Off: 12:30pm