Barnsley 2-1 Blackpool

Davis Keillor-Dunn’s run of 63 successive league appearances since making his debut on the 7^th September 2024 ended due to an unspecified “illness” but veteran David McGoldrick stepped up to secure a crucial last gasp win to move Barnsley three points away from the drop zone.

McGoldrick’s brace were his first league goals since netting in the first two home games of the season and his first brace for almost a year to the day – he last scored twice on the 18^th January 2025 in a 3-0 Notts County win at Accrington Stanley in League Two.

He is only the second Barnsley player to net more than once in  a league game this season with DKD the other in a 3-1 win over Huddersfield on the 30^th August.

It is only the second time this season Barnsley have won a league game with an injury time goal, both have come at 90+3 and both scored by McGoldrick with him also doing so in a 3-2 win over Burton on the 9^th August.

Two of Barnsley’s last three injury time wins have come against Blackpool following a 2-1 win at Bloomfield Road in October 2024.

It is only Barnsley’s second league winner of any kind in their last eight outings.

Ex Red Ashley Fletcher had scored an equaliser for Blackpool with just over 15 minutes remaining, the third former Barnsley player to net against them this season following John McAtee for Bolton and Stephen Humphrys for Bradford.

Fletcher has now scored three times in eight appearances against Barnsley since leaving following a successful loan spell in 2015-2016 – including in each of the last two seasons for Blackpool at Oakwell.

This result means Barnsley have kept only two league clean sheets in 2025-2026 so far, it is the first time they have kept so few shut-outs by the 17^th January since 2013-2014 when it took until the 18^th January to keep a third and the first time at this level since 2002-2003 when it didn’t arrive until the 25^th January.

This was Barnsley’s ninth league win of the season but only the second to come via a 2-1 scoreline. It is their first 2-1 home league win since New Year’s Day 2025 against Wrexham.

Conor Hourihane made only two substitutions in a home game for the first time this season.

This is the third meeting in the past four between Barnsley and Blackpool that has been decided by an injury time winner including both league meetings this season.

Indeed there has been a goal scored in the 90^th minute or later in four of the last five.

This was only Barnsley’s second win in the last nine in all competitions (L7) whilst each of their last three victories against Blackpool (spanned across 10 meetings) have been by a 2-1 scoreline.

This was the first time in three meetings in which both teams scored.

This win ended a run of three successive Oakwell defeats to Blackpool and was only their fourth win from the last 10 clashes here.

It was also the first time Barnsley have scored in four Oakwell clashes.

Barnsley Team:

1 Owen Goodman

27. Tennai Watson

15. Eoghan O’Connell

6. Jack Shepherd

14. Nathanel Ogbeta

7. Corey O’Keeffe

8. Adam Phillips 

22. Patrick Kelly

30. Jonathan Bland 

19. Reyes Cleary

10. David McGoldrick

Substitutes:

45. Vimal Yoganathan (for Bland 45)

39. Leo Farrell (for Cleary 85)

Unused Substitutes:

51. Kieren Flevell, 17. Georgie Gent, 29. Connor Barratt, 6. Mael de Gevigney.

Blackpool Team:

1. Bailey Peacock-Farrell

12. Kamari Grant

4. Oliver Casey

26. Zachary Ashworth 

2. Andrew Lyons

19. Josh Bowler

6. Jordan Brown

10. George Honeyman 

22. CJ Hamilton

14. Tom Bloxham

11. Ashley Fletcher

Substitutions:

23. Scott Banks (for Lyons 52)

9. Niall Ennis (for Bloxham 70)

7. Lee Evans (for Bowler 71)

28. Ryan Finnigan (for Brown 80)

Unused Substitutes:

25. Franco Ravizzoli, 46. Oluchukwu Nwankwo, 41. Terry Bondo.

League One Results

Saturday 17th January

Bradford City (3^rd) 1-2 Cardiff City (1^st)

                                        Turnbull 14

                                         Chambers 24

Metcalfe 59

Wigan Athletic (18^th) 0-1 Bolton Wanderers (5^th)

                                             Sheehan 82

AFC Wimbledon (17^th) 0-1 Doncaster Rovers (22^nd)

                                                Bailey 90+9

BARNSLEY (15^th) 2-1 Blackpool (20^th)

McGoldrick 27

                                       Fletcher 74

McGoldrick 90+3

Burton Albion (19^th) 3-1 Huddersfield Town (6^th)

Vancooten 4

                                             May 28

Beesley 57

McKiernan 78

Exeter City (13^th) 3-0 Stevenage (8^th)

Wareham pen 49

Brierley 73

Tutierov 90+8

Leyton Orient (16^th) 3-1 Reading (11^th)

Ballard 45

                                            Marriott 52

Ballard 65

Ballard 85

Luton Town (7^th) 2-2 Lincoln City (2^nd)

                                      Draper 11

                                      Street 22

Kodua 35

Wells 45+3

Mansfield Town (10^th) 3-0 Port Vale (24^th)

Irow 55

Evans 69

Irow 67

Northampton Town (21^st) 1-2 Wycombe Wanderers (9^th)

                                                     Onyedinma 17

Guthrie 36

                                                     Onyedinma 64

Peterborough United (12^th) 0-1 Plymouth Argyle (14^th)

                                                        Pepple 23

Stockport County (4^th) 3-2 Rotherham United (23^rd)

Raggett og 13

                                                Olowu og 42

Dawson og 55

                                                Nombe 60

Andresson 76

Barnsley lie in 15^th place in Sky Bet League One with 32 points from 22 games. We are 7 points off the Play-Offs, 17 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 23 points off First Place and 3 points above the Relegation Zone.

Up to 18/1/26

Next Up:

On The Road:

Sky Bet League One Matchday Twenty Three: Reading v Barnsley, Saturday 24^th January 2026. Kick-Off: 3pm

At Oakwell:

Sky Bet League One Matchday Twenty Five: Barnsley v Stevenage, Saturday 31^st January 2026. Kick-Off: 3pm