Barnsley managed to gain their first win of 2023 at the fourth attempt with a comprehensive performance that had the game sewn up within the first 20 minutes.
James Norwood gave the Reds the lead after just five minutes with an overhead kick, the earliest the Reds have scored in a game this season and earliest since the 2nd April 2022 when Carlton Morris also scored after five minutes against Reading.
It was 2-0 after just eight minutes, the earliest Barnsley have been two goals up in a game for 18 years when they led Scunthorpe 2-0 at Oakwell after just seven minutes in December 2005.
Two became three after just 19 minutes, the earliest the Reds have led 3-0 since that same 2005-2006 season when they led Oldham 3-0 after 14 minutes in October 2005.
Accrington finally got on the scoreboard with the very last kick of the game and for the fifth time in six matches Barnsley conceded from the penalty spot. They have conceded six goals from penalties so far in 2022-2023 (all comps) and five of the last 11 goals they have conceded have come from 12 yards.
Two of those five penalty goals conceded have been against Accrington and both converted by Tommy Leigh.
This was the 12th time this season a team has scored at least three goals in a Barnsley game, (seven from Barnsley), the most in a season since 2019-2020 (14)
Accrington are the first opponents to score a penalty in both league meetings v Barnsley since Bolton in 2017-2018.
James Norwood is the first Barnsley player to score home and away v an opponent since 2020-2021.
Barnsley are now unbeaten in five meetings with Accrington, winning four.
They have now won seven of the eight Oakwell meetings overall (L1), with that one defeat coming way back in September 1954.
Barnsley have scored at least three times in six of the eight Oakwell clashes and never not scored against Stanley at home.
Barnsley Team:
40. Brad Collins
2. Jordan Williams
12. Bobby Thomas
6. Mads Andersen (c)
5. Liam Kitching
7. Nicky Cadden
30. Adam Phillips
48. Luca Connell
8. Herbie Kane
9. James Norwood
27. Jack Aitchison
Substitutes:
47. Max Watters (for Aitchison 65)
44. Devante Cole (for Norwood 76)
26. Ziyad Larkeche (for Cadden 81)
33. Matty Wolfe (for Kane 82)
Unused Substitutes:
14. Josh Martin, 20. Jamie Searle, 22. Clarke Oduor.
Accrington Team:
40. Toby Savin
5. Ryan Astley
34. Doug Tharme
16. Harvey Rodgers
6. Liam Coyle
25. Sebastian Quirk
22. Dan Martin
4. Ethan Hamilton
11. Sean McConville ©
7. Shaun Whalley
8. Tommy Leigh
Substitutions:
14. Rosaire Longelo (for Hamilton 60)
39. Josh Woods (for Whalley 60)
42. Leslie Adekoya (for McConville 70)
12. Michael Nottingham (for Astley 79)
21. Harry Perritt (for Tharme 80)
Unused Substitutes:
1. Lukas Jensen, 50. Baba Fernandes.
Accrington manager John Coleman said:
“It’s happened too many times this season, we’ve beat ourselves in the first 10 minutes of the game.
“Within eight minutes you’re 2-0 down, the game is more or less over. We let them walk through us for the third goal, after 19 minutes you might as well go home.
“We seem to have two ways of playing, if we stay in the game we’re alright. But we’ve been beat too many times in the opening 15 minutes of games. We were a little better in the second half, but you ask yourself if they’ve eased off the gas.
“This is taking nothing away from Barnsley, they were good. They pressed us really well the whole game but they didn’t have to do anything to win, we’ve gifted them goals.
Match Reports:
Sky Bet League One Results:
Saturday 21st January 2023:
BARNSLEY (6th) 3-1 Accrington Stanley (20th)
Norwood 5
Aitchison 8
Williams 19
Leigh pen 90+4
Derby County (4th) 2-1 Bolton Wanderers (5th)
Mendez-Laing 16
Hourihane 72
Sadlier 90+3
Forest Green Rovers (24th) 1-2 Milton Keynes Dons (19th)
Peart-Harris 29
Eisa 43
Eisa 51
Oxford United (10th) 2-1 Ipswich Town (3rd)
Wildschut 34
Davis 38
Brannagan 83
Plymouth Argyle (1st) 4-2 Cheltenham Town (18th)
Scarr 26
Hardie 28
Perry 40
Wright 64
May 70
Cosgrove 83
Portsmouth (15th) 2-0 Exeter City (12th)
Pack 57
Morrell 74
Sheffield Wednesday (2nd) 1-0 Fleetwood Town (17th)
Johnson 17
Shrewsbury Town (11th) 5-1 Cambridge United (22nd)
Leahy pen 33
Shipley 45+5
Pennington 57
Ironside 69
Saydee 71
Leahy pen 90+1
Barnsley lie in 6th place in Sky Bet League One with 43 points from 25 games. We are 5 points inside the Play-Offs, 15 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 18 points off First Place and 19 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 22/1/23
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Twenty Six: Exeter City v Barnsley, Tuesday 24th January 2023 Kick Off: 7:45pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Twenty Nine: Barnsley v Cambridge United, Saturday 11th February 2023. Kick Off: 3pm