Barnsley fought their way to a hard earned draw against fellow promotion contenders Bolton by extending their record-breaking away run. The Reds have never before been this far into a season with just a solitary league defeat on the road and nobody else in the top four divisions has as little as one defeat on the road at this stage.
However they don’t currently have the best away record in League One with their total of 27 points bettered by Portsmouth and Derby who both have 32.
Barnsley took the lead after just five minutes through a very familiar source in Devante Cole, the earliest the Reds have led away from home in the league this season since the 23rd September when Callum Styles netted after four minutes at Northampton.
It was Cole’s 17th league goal of 2023-2024 which puts him top of the division’s scorers this season, one ahead of Stevenage’s Jamie Reid and Charlton’s Alfie May.
It is the most league goals in a season for a Barnsley player since Kieffer Moore also scored 17 in 2018-2019, the last Barnsley player to net more was Sam Winnall with 21 in 2015-2016 (and he ended up with 23 following the play-offs)
This was the 19th time Cole has opened the scoring for Barnsley since his initial debut for the club in August 2014.
Cole’s goal was Barnsley’s 53rd in the league this season, only Peterborough (56) have netted more in League One this season.
This was Barnsley’s eighth league draw of the season, five of which have finished 1-1 (and the other three 2-2)
Mael de Gevigney was yellow carded after just three minutes, the earliest booking for the Reds this season and indeed earliest since Ryan Kent was also yellow carded after three minutes at Birmingham in December 2016.
Barnsley have drawn each of their last three league meetings (including playoffs) at Bolton (with a 2-1 FA Cup win sandwiched in between)
They have now failed to win any of the last 12 league clashes (D8 L4) with their last league success there coming in May 1994.
Barnsley Team:
1. Liam Roberts
6. Mael de Gevigney
43. Josh Earl
2. Jordan Williams
17. Barry Cotter
8. Herbie Kane
7. Nicky Cadden
48. Luca Connell
30. Adam Phillips
44. Devante Cole
45. John McAtee
Substitutes:
22. Corey O’Keeffe (for Cotter 68)
11. Conor Grant (for Kane 81)
Unused Substitutes:
23. Ben Killip, 5. Donovan Pines, 3. Jon Russell, 36. Max Watters, 9.Sam Cosgrove.
Bolton Team:
1. Nathan Baxter
21. Caleb Taylor
3. Jack Iredale
18. Eoin Toal
26. Zach Ashworth
12. Josh Dacres-Cogley
22. Kyle Dempsey
19. Paris Maghoma
8. Josh Sheehan
10. Dion Charles
14. Victor Adeboyejo
Substitutions:
28. Aaron Collins (for Charles 63)
9. Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (for Adeboyejo 63)
20. Calvin Ramsay (for Taylor 68)
16. Aaron Morley (for Sheehan 74)
Unused Substitutes:
17. Nathanael Ogbeta, 35. Cameron Jerome, 7. Carlos Mendes Gomes.
SkyBet League One Results:
SATURDAY 3RD FEBRUARY 2024:
Oxford United (7th) 1-1 Reading (21st)
Harris 32
Brown og 76
Bolton Wanderers (3rd) 1-1 BARNSLEY (5th)
Cole 5
Ashworth 64
Burton Albion (18th) 0-1 Lincoln City (12th)
Hackett-Fairchild 54
Charlton Athletic (19th) 0-1 Derby County (2nd)
Mendez-Laing 31
Cheltenham Town (22nd) 1-3 Wycombe Wanderers (15th)
Grimmer 20
McCleary 29
Davies og 49
Taylor 58
Exeter City (17th) 0-1 Bristol Rovers (10th)
Aguilera 15
Fleetwood Town (23rd) 3-0 Port Vale (20th)
Stockley 8
Coughlan 65
Broom 90+4
Leyton Orient (9th) 3-2 Carlisle United (24th)
Vela 21
Forde 40
Forde 45+4
Sotiriou 58
Maguire pen 90+5
Peterborough United (4th) 2-3 Wigan Athletic (13th)
Aasgaard 20
Magennis 52
Aasgaard 85
Knight 90+1
Jones 90+4
Portsmouth (1st) 4-1 Northampton Town (11th)
Ogilvie 7
Lane 16
Lane 58
Lang 71
Leonard 89
Shrewsbury Town (16th) 1-2 Cambridge United (14th)
Udoh 12
Taylor 14
Taylor 46
Stevenage (6th) 1-0 Blackpool (8th)
Forster-Caskey 85
Barnsley lie in 5th place in Sky Bet League One with 53 points from 29 games. We are 2 points inside the Play-Offs, 6 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 10 points off First Place and 25 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 3/2/24
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty: Barnsley v Leyton Orient, Saturday 10th February 2024. Kick Off: 3pm
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty One: Stevenage v Barnsley, Tuesday 13th February 2024. Kick Off: 7:45pm