Barnsley kept their faint automatic promotion hopes by winning a NINTH successive home league game for the first time in 108 years.
The last time they won as many as nine games in a row at Oakwell was back in the 1914-1915 campaign when they won 12 in a row between 3rd October 1914 and 8th March 1915 – indeed they won 13 and drew 1 of their first 14 home games of that season and went on to win 16 of 19 overall, they have now won 16 of 21 in 2022-2023.
All nine of the victories in this current run have been achieved by scoring at least twice in each game, netting three on four occasions, four twice and five once.
As mentioned above this was their 16th league home victory of the season, only Plymouth (18) have won more and is actually one better than the amount they won in their last League One promotion winning season of 2018-2019 – a campaign where they remained undefeated at Oakwell.
It is their most home wins in a season since 1976-1977 (also 16)
This was Barnsley's 26th league victory of the season (from 43 games), only in three of their previous 123 years as a league side have they won more. (1933-1934, 27, 1938-1939, 30, 1954-1955, 30)
Remarkably they have now equalled the number of victories they achieved in their last League One campaign – 2018-2019 when they finished second.
Barnsley have now won each of their last 15 league games in which they have opened the scoring, last failing to do so on Boxing Day at Accrington Stanley (1-1) and have won 23 of the last 24 occasions. They are unbeaten in their last 28 league matches in which they have opened the scoring (W26 D2) last losing from a 1-0 lead in the final home game of 2021-2022 against Preston (1-3)
With three games to go Barnsley have 85 points, the exact same amount of points as they had at this stage of their automatic promotion winning League One campaign of 2018-2019.
Slobodan Tedic bagged both Barnsley goals, his fourth goals in his last eight appearances, having failed to score in any of his previous 15 games for the club and three of those have come in his last three games.
Barnsley have won all three games in which Tedic has scored and he has netted the opening goal in all three games.
Tedic bagged a brace, the fifth Barnsley brace in League One this season.
Adam Phillips assisted both Tedic goals, the fifth time this season (all comps) a player has assisted two goals in a game.
Phillips has now directly contributed to 19 goals this season (scored 11, assisted 8)
His eight assists is the joint most for the club this season along with Jordan Williams and Luca Connell.
Tedic’s first came in first half injury time, only the third time the Reds have scored in this period, however it has occurred in each of their last two home games.
Barnsley have led at half time in 22 of their 43 league games this season (51%)
This was Barnsley’s seventh league double of the season (following a 2-1 win at the Kassam Stadium in February), their most in a season since 2018-2019 (8) The most they can achieve this season now is nine if they beat MK Dons and Peterborough in their final two matches.
It’s Barnsley’s first league double over Oxford since 1991-1992 (this is the sixth season they have met in the league since)
Barnsley collected their 17th League One clean sheet of the season, their most in a season since 2018-2019 (21)
It is however only the third time they have kept back to back league clean sheets this season.
Barnsley now have 85 points, since victories changed from two points to three points they have only once bettered this total – in 2018-2019 when they gained 91.
Barnsley are unbeaten in their last five meetings with the Us (all comps), winning four.
They have scored at least twice in each of their five meetings.
The Reds have kept clean sheets in each of the last five Oakwell meetings and 10 of the last 11 meetings – Oxford have scored just one goal at Oakwell in this run.
There were only 18 shots in the game, the lowest in Barnsley’s last eight matches.
There has been seven corners in each of Barnsley’s two matches.
There were 31 fouls in the match, the most in Barnsley’s last 16 outings.
Barnsley Team:
1. Harry Isted
12. Bobby Thomas
6. Mads Andersen (c)
5. Liam Kitching
2. Jordan Williams
30. Adam Phillips
48. Luca Connell
8. Herbie Kane
26. Ziyad Larkeche
44. Devante Cole
31. Slobodan Tedic
Substitutes:
47. Max Watters (for Tedic 72)
9. James Norwood (for Cole 73)
24. Robbie Cundy (for Larkeche 77)
3. Jon Russell (for Connell 77)
10. Josh Benson (for Phillips 85)
Unused Substitutes:
16. Luke Thomas, 40. Brad Collins.
Oxford Team:
13. Simon Eastwood
2. Sam Long
5. Elliott Moore (c)
4. Stuart Findlay
16. Ciaron Brown
18. Marcus McGuane
8. Cameron Brannagan
27. Tyler Goodrham
25. Oisin Smyth
22. Kyle Joseph
39. Gatlin O'Donkor
Substitutions:
11. Marcus Browne (for O’Donkor 25)
23. Josh Murphy (for Goodrham 53)
30. Yanic Wildschut (for Smyth 54)
7. Billy Bodin (for Joseph 71)
Unused Substitutes:
3. Brandon Fleming, 21. Edward McGinty, 33. Djavan Anderson.
Match Reports:
Sky Bet League One Results:
SATURDAY 22ND APRIL 2023:
BARNSLEY (4th) 2-0 Oxford United (20th
Tedic 45+1
Tedic 51
Bolton Wanderers (5th) 1-0 Shrewsbury Town (13th)
Sheehan 63
Charlton Athletic (11th) 2-3 Morecambe (21st)
Stockton 8
Rak-Sakyi 45+1
Stockton 57
Weir 64
Fraser 79
Cheltenham Town (16th) 3-1 Forest Green Rovers (24th)
May 14
Keena 32
May 38
Garrick 48
Derby County (6th) 1-0 Burton Albion (18th)
McGoldrick pen 63
Fleetwood Town (12th) 1-0 Milton Keynes Dons (19th)
Omochere 44
Peterborough United (7th) 0-3 Ipswich Town (2nd)
Burns 17
Chaplin 57
Ladapo 82
Plymouth Argyle (1st) 3-1 Cambridge United (22nd)
Wright 15
Smith 31
Edwards 56
Ennis 73
Port Vale (17th) 2-0 Bristol Rovers (15th)
Harrison 22
Pett 29
Portsmouth (8th) 1-0 Accrington Stanley (23rd)
Pigott 75
Sheffield Wednesday (3rd) 2-1 Exeter City (14th)
Key 47
Gregory 59
Paterson 74
Wycombe Wanderers (9th) 0-2 Lincoln City (10th)
Duffy 7
Sorensen 71
Barnsley lie in 4th place in Sky Bet League One with 85 points from 43 games. We are 12 points inside the Play-Offs, 6 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 7 points off First Place and 44 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 23/4/23
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty Four: Barnsley v Ipswich Town, Tuesday 25th April 2023. Kick Off: 7:45pm
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty Five: Milton Keynes Dons v Barnsley, Saturday 29th April 2023 Kick Off: 3pm