Barnsley managed to scrape into the end of season play-off lottery after a last gasp Northampton goal robbed the Reds of two points but defeats for Lincoln and Blackpool ensured Barnsley will contest a playoff campaign in successive seasons for the first time ever.
Oxford’s final day victory to jump from seventh to fifth means Barnsley will finish sixth – their lowest position in the table since the 15th January and will face Bolton in the semi-finals for the second year in a row.
Indeed all three sides who lost in last season’s League One play-offs have made them again in 2023-2024 with Oxford replacing Sheffield Wednesday from the 2022-2023 vintage.
This draw though sees the Reds finish the regular season winless in six matches, (D2 L4), their worst run at this level since they infamously lost seven in a row in October/November 2015 and they have won only one of the last nine.
In a flip from last season they will face Bolton at home first (on Friday) and Oakwell is a venue Barnsley have now gone six games without winning (D4 L2), a run that started with a 2-2 draw against the Trotters.
It is their worst home run since another a run of six between November 2021 and February 2022.
It is their worst home run at this level since another run of six between 10th October 2015 and 19th December 2015, of which they lost five.
This was the 14th home league match Barnsley have failed to win this season, the most at this level since 2004-2005 (16)
This will be Barnsley’s sixth play-off campaign and fourth in the third tier, they have won two of the previous three, losing last year’s final after 123 minutes.
The Reds were denied a morale boosting win with due to a goal after 96minutes, the fourth time they have conceded in injury time this season and second against Northampton.
Remarkably Louis Appere has scored in second half injury time in both meetings with Barnsley this season.
This is the sixth time Barnsley have finished sixth in a Football League season (also 1911-1912, 1976-1977, 1981-1982, 1994-1995 and 2015-2016)
They won the League One play-offs from this position eight years ago however only one side has done so since and that was Millwall the following year. In the intervening six years it has been won by 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 5th, 3rd.
This was Barnsley’s first final day draw since 2020-2021 (2-2 v Norwich) another season which was extended by a play-off campaign.
These are the only two season finale stalemates in the last 11 seasons.
Barnsley have failed to win any of their last four final day matches (D2 L2) they last won on the final day, in dramatic circumstances, 2-1 at Brentford with Clark Oduor’s 91st minute winner keeping the Reds in the Championship.
Barnsley end the season on 76 points, 10 points less than last season when they finished fourth, it is however more points than they gained when reaching the League One play-offs in 2005-2006 and 2015-2016.
It would have not been enough to secure a playoff place in either of the last two League One campaigns.
Barnsley have conceded 64 league goals this season – the most amongst the top THIRTEEN sides.
They last finished in the top six of a division after conceding this amount of goals in 1999-2000 when they finished fourth despite shipping 67.
Their total of 82 scored is only bettered by two sides in League One this season – Peterborough (89) and Bolton (86) and is the most they have scored in a season since the aforementioned 1999-2000 campaign when they netted 88.
This is the fifth time Barnsley have achieved successive EFL top six finishes also doing so:
- In four successive Second Division seasons between 1911-1912 and 1914-15 (finishing 6th, 4th, 5th, 3rd)
- Finishing 2nd in the Division Three North in 1953-1954 and then 1st in 1954-1955
- Finishing 2nd in Division Three in 1980-1981 and then and then 6th in Division Two in 1981-1982
The home team has now scored exactly one goal in each of the last six meetings between Barnsley and Northampton and have not netted more than this in any of the last eight.
This was the first draw in seven meetings with the Cobblers having won four of the previous six.
Barnsley have failed to win any of the last five Oakwell clashes (D2 L3)
There was a total of only 16 shots in this game (7-9) the joint lowest in a Barnsley game this season (all comps) along with the Burton home game in September (8-8)
Barnsley Team:
1. Liam Roberts
6. Mael de Gevigney
43. Josh Earl
2. Jordan Williams
22. Corey O’Keeffe
7. Nicky Cadden
8. Herbie Kane
48. Luca Connell
30. Adam Phillips
45. John McAtee
44. Devante Cole
Substitutes:
12. Fabio Jalo (for McAtee 72)
9. Sam Cosgrove (for Cole 83)
17. Barry Cotter (for O’Keeffe 90+4)
Unused Substitutes:
23. Ben Killip, 26. Jamie McCart, 11. Conor Grant, 19. Aiden Marsh.
Northampton Team:
1. Lee Burge
15. Jordan Willis
5. Jon Guthrie
6. Sam Sherring
4. Jack Sowerby
22. Akinwale Odimayo
12. Emmanuel Monthe
21. Marc Leonard
11. Mitch Pinnock
19. Kieron Bowie
9. Louis Appere
Substitutions:
16. Tyreece Simpson (for Bowie 55)
3. Aaron McGowan (for Odimayo 61)
17. Shaun McWilliams (for Monthe 74)
23. Will Hondermarck (for Sowerby 74)
Unused Substitutes:
36. James Dadge, 8. Ben Fox, 28. Tony Springett.
SkyBet League One Results:
SATURDAY 27TH APRIL 2024:
BARNSLEY (6th) 1-1 Northampton Town (14th)
Kane 18
Appere 90+6
Derby County (2nd) 2-0 Carlisle United (24th)
Bird 5
Collins 59
Exeter City (13th) 1-2 Oxford United (5th)
Harris 12
Brannagan pen 40
Alli 52
Fleetwood Town (22nd) 3-0 Burton Albion (20th)
Johnston 17
Patterson 31
Lonergan 76
Lincoln City (7th) 0-2 Portsmouth (1st)
Peart-Harris 81
Lane 90+12
Peterborough United (4th) 3-3 Bolton Wanderers (3rd)
Dempsey 4
Charles pen 8
Mothersille 50
Randall 67
Mothersille 79
Jerome 82
Port Vale (23rd) 0-0 Cambridge United (18th)
Reading (17th) 3-2 Blackpool (8th)
Dembele 4
Smith 45+2
Knibbs 68
Azeez 71 Lawrence-Gabriel 90+2
Shrewsbury Town (19th) 1-3 Leyton Orient (11th)
Adu-Adjei 8
Galbraith 24
Agyei 51
Udoh 76
Stevenage (9th) 2-1 Cheltenham Town (21st)
Hemmings 45+1
Taylor 53
Freeman 90
Wigan Athletic (12th) 2-0 Bristol Rovers (15th)
Magennis 30
Smith 48
Wycombe Wanderers (10th) 1-0 Charlton Athletic (16th)
Leahy pen 7
Barnsley finish in 6th place in Sky Bet League One with 76 points from 46 games. We finish 2 points inside the Play-Offs, 16 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 21 points off First Place and 32 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 27/4/24
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet Play-Off Semi-Final First Leg: Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers, Friday 3rd May 2024. Kick Off: 7:30pm
On The Road:
Sky Bet Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg: Bolton Wanderers v Barnsley, Tuesday 7th May 2024. Kick Off: 8pm