The gap to the League One top six increased to its biggest gap for exactly nine years after another harrowing home reverse saw Barnsley fall seven points behind the promotion pack – it’s the biggest gap when Barnsley have been in this division since mid February 2016 when it was 8 points and the Reds resided in 12th position.
However back then a defeat that left them eight points adrift ended a seven match winning run which had taken them from the relegation zone to play-off contention in a season where they would eventually and memorably finish sixth and win promotion, they are currently seven points behind on a run of six without a win, five of which have ended in defeat.
It is Barnsley's longest league winless run since they failed to win the final six of the regular season last season.
It was another defeat in what has been a shocking 12 months at Oakwell in front of their own supporters. On the 24th February 2024 Barnsley defeated Derby County 2-1 at home, their ninth home victory of 2023-2024, since then they have won only four of 22 (D10 L8) - all four of which have come this season to give them only the 16th best League One home record.
This was Barnsley's 12th league defeat overall in 2024-2025, the same amount as they lost in the entirety of both 2023-2024 and 2022-2023. They last lost more at this level in 2015-2016 (16)
More worryingly is Barnsley now have two points less than they had at this stage of 2015-2016 however do occupy the same position in the league table.
Barnsley have lost more games than anybody else in the top half of the division and you have to go down to 14th to find a team who has lost more – Rotherham with 13 who are Barnsley’s next opponents.
This is the second time in four games that Barnsley have lost 2-1 after being 1-0 up at half time and on both occasions Jon Russell have opened the scoring. Prior to this Barnsley had won all eight matches in which Russell had scored.
Overall it is the third time Barnsley have lost a league game this season when they have opened the scoring, equal to the number of occurrences last season.
Russell has had five goal contributions in the last nine games (four goals, 1 assist) he has had goal involvements in successive games for the first time this season.
This game was turned on its head by two goals in two minutes (59,61) the quickest Barnsley have conceded twice since September 2023 when they conceded two to Portsmouth at Oakwell in the same minute.
This was the 12th 2-1 scoreline in Barnsley's 31 League games this season (39%) with this the fifth occasion the Reds have lost by this scoreline - two of which have now come in back-back games whilst they have now lost 2-1 in three of their last four matches.
It is the most times this scoreline has occurred in a league season since 2020-2021 when it also happened on 12 occasions (9 wins, 3 defeats)
This is the fourth time this season (all comps) in which Barnsley have had the same scoreline in successive matches (losing back to back 2-0s to Huddersfield, losing 3-1 to Doncaster then beating Port Vale 3-1, losing 2-1 to Birmingham then beating Exeter 2-1 and losing 2-1 to Stockport and Huddersfield)
This 2-1 defeat saw Barnsley's goal difference move to 0 for the first time since Boxing Day.
Josiah Dyer came on in the 87th minute to make his league debut after three EFL Trophy appearances, 22 years after his father Bruce made his 181st and final league appearance (out of 206 overall) in May 2003. Bruce scored 70 goals in those 206 appearances between October 1998 and May 2003.
There were 15,600 supporters in attendance the biggest Oakwell crowd for a year when 18,332 saw the Reds defeat Derby 2-1 on the 24th February 2024.
Barnsley have now lost five successive games against Huddersfield in four different competitions (FA Cup, Championship, EFL Trophy and League One) three of which have occurred this season.
Huddersfield have netted twice in each of their last four matches with the Reds, prior to this five match streak, the Reds had been unbeaten in four, winning three.
The Reds have however won only one of their last nine visits to the John Smiths Stadium, losing seven of the last eight.
Barnsley Team:
18. Joe Gauci
6. Mael de Gevigney
5. Donovan Pines
32. Josh Earl
7. Corey O’Keeffe
3. Jon Russell
50. Kelechi Nwakali
22. Neil Farrugia
33. Clement Rodrigues
44. Stephen Humphrys
40. Davis Keillor-Dunn
Substitutes:
10. Josh Benson (for Rodrigues 62)
20. Dexter Lembikisa (for O’Keeffe 70)
14. Jonathan Lewis (for Farrugia 71)
43. Josiah Dyer (for Humphrys 87)
Unused Substitutes:
12. Jackson Smith, 21. Conor McCarthy, 17. Georgie Gent.
Huddersfield Team:
1. Lee Nicholls
2. Lasse Sorensen
24. Radinio Balker
32. Tom Lees
17. Brodie Spencer
8. Ben Wiles
18. David Kasumu
16. Herbie Kane
27. Tawanda Chirewa
15. Dion Charles
7. Callum Marshall
Substitutions:
10. Josh Koroma (for Charles 45)
3. Josh Ruffels (for Chirewa 69)
6. Jonathan Hogg (for Kane 69)
41. Joe Hodge (for Kasumu 79)
19. Freddie Ladapo (for Marshall 84)
Unused Substitutes:
13. Jacob Chapman, 20. Oliver Turton.
Sky Bet League One Results:
Saturday 15th February 2025:
Cambridge United (24th) 0-1 Exeter City (16th)
Magennis 73
Northampton Town (19th) 0-2 Wrexham (3rd)
Smith 19
Rathbone 22
Barnsley (10th) 1-2 Huddersfield Town (5th)
Russell 14
Koroma 59
Wiles 61
Birmingham City (1st) 1-0 Charlton Athletic (7th)
Stansfield 23
Blackpool (11th) 3-3 Mansfield Town (15th)
Carey 19
Evans 24
Baccus 29
Akins 64
Fletcher 71
Ennis 77
Bristol Rovers (17th) 3-1 Burton Albion (23rd)
Martin 13
Tavares 82
Thomas 87
Hutchinson 90+9
Crawley Town (21st) 1-1 Wycombe Wanderers (2nd)
Swan 5
Udoh 20
Leyton Orient (6th) 3-2 Lincoln City (13th)
Perkins 17
Perkins 28
Montsma 45+7
Collins 75
Kelman 90+2
Reading (9th) 2-1 Rotherham United (14th)
Knibbs 24
Nombe pen 57
Knibbs pen 90+4
Shrewsbury Town (22nd) 2-3 Bolton Wanderers (8th)
Oliver 20
Toal 59
McAtee 63
McAtee 79
Hoole 90+4
Stevenage (12th) 1-1 Peterborough United (20th)
Kemp 55
Hayes 67
Wigan Athletic (18th) 0-2 Stockport County (4th)
Bate 79
Collar 82
Barnsley lie in 10th place in Sky Bet League One with 43 points from 31 games. We are 7 points off the Play-Offs, 17 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 26 points off First Place and 15 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 16/2/25
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Two: Rotherham United v Barnsley, Saturday 22nd February 2025. Kick Off: 12:30pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Four: Barnsley v Lincoln City, Saturday 1st March 2025. Kick Off: 3pm