Barnsley have virtually secured at least a play-off spot in League One after scoring five goals away from home for the first time in 11 years.
This 5-1 victory which also confirmed Forest Green’s relegation back to League Two after just one season leaves Barnsley 12 points clear of seventh placed Derby and the Rams only have 12 points left to play for whilst Barnsley’s goal difference is currently 16 better than Derby’s.
Barnsley scored five times on the road for the first time September 2012 when Craig Davies scored four in a 5-0 thumping of Birmingham in front of the Sky cameras.
It is however the second time they have won by a four goal margin away this season following the 4-0 win at Cheltenham in February – they also achieved this twice in the 2018-2019 promotion season, winning 4-0 on two occasions.
Barnsley have now scored five goals on two occasions in the league in 2022-2023 following the 5-0 thumping over Morecambe only a fortnight ago – the first time they have achieved this feat since 1999-2000 when they defeated Portsmouth 6-1 and Blackburn 5-1, both at Oakwell.
This game saw Barnsley reach 74 goals from their 41 league games, only Ipswich (85) have netted more than the Reds this season.
They have reached 70 goals in each of their last three League One campaigns and are now only six off their total from 2018-2019.
It also saw Barnsley break the 80 point mark for only the third time this century (also 1999-2000, 82 and 2018-2019, 91)
This was Barnsley’s 10th away success in League One this season – the joint most in the division along with Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday – they have reached this milestone in three of the past five seasons – managing 11 in 2018-2019 and 2020-2021.
This was Barnsley's 25th league victory of the season (from 41 games), only in four of their previous 123 years as a league side have they won more. (1933-1934, 27, 1938-1939, 30, 1954-1955, 30, 2018-2019, 26)
Devante Cole scored in a 2022-2023 game for the 13th time (all comps) and the Reds have won all 13 games.
This is the first time Cole has scored as a substitute this season but it is the ninth league goal scored by a Barnsley substitute this season - Josh Martin, James Norwoodx2, Adam Phillips, Luke Thomas, Jack Aitchison, Slobodan Tedic and Max Watters have also netted from the bench.
Cole has now scored 25 goals for Barnsley since making his initial debut in August 2014, with this only his fourth away from Oakwell – three of which have come this season and two of those were back in September, at Sheffield Wednesday and Cambridge.
Barnsley have now won each of their last 14 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 22 of the last 23 occasions. They are unbeaten in their last 27 league matches in which they have opened the scoring (W25 D2) last losing from a 1-0 lead in the final home game of 2021-2022 against Preston (1-3)
With five games to go Barnsley have 81 points, which is actually two points more than at this stage of their automatic promotion winning League One campaign of 2018-2019 – they sat second in the table at that point.
Finally Barnsley were awarded their first penalty in 51 league games – and they missed it! Thankfully Adam Phillips scored from the rebound after his initial spot kick was saved.
It means The Reds have missed three of their four penalties in 2022-2023 (all comps) following misses by Callum Styles at Leeds in the League Cup and Slobodan Tedic at Doncaster in the Papa Johns Trophy.
Barnsley led by at least two goals at half time for the eighth time in the league this season, six of which have come in the last 12 games and they led by three goals at the break for the fourth time in 2022-2023 including in two of their last four matches.
Tedic gave Barnsley the lead after just eight minutes, the ninth time Barnsley have netted a league goal inside the opening 10 minutes this season, they have gone on to win seven of those matches.
Adam Phillips bagged a brace, the fourth Barnsley brace in League One this season and first not scored by Devante Cole.
The scoring was wrapped up by Cole after 90 minutes, the seventh league goal the Reds have scored in the 90th minute or later this season, the most 90+minute league goals scored in a season since also scoring seven in 2019-2020 (two of which were famously in the final two matches to retain their Championship status)
Luca Connell set up two of the goals to move him onto eight assists for the season, the joint most for the club this season along with Jordan Williams - two more than any other player.
It is the fourth time this season (all comps) a player has assisted two goals in a game and Connell has been that player on two of those occasions (also v Ipswich)
James Norwood was Barnsley’s only booking, his 10th yellow card of the season which also matches his goal tally in 2022-2023. This was the fourth time he has both scored and been yellow carded in a game this season.
Norwood’s goal took him into double figures for the season (as did the brace for Phillips) Norwood, Phillips and Cole are now in double figures (Cole 16, Norwood 10, Phillips 10) for goals this season, the first time this has occurred for three Reds players in a season since 2005-2006 (Paul Hayes 12, Marc Richards 12, Chris Shuker 10)
Cole and Norwood scored in the same game for the sixth time this season.
Forest Green are the sixth club Barnsley have completed a league double over in 2022-2023 (in their first ever meetings with them) after Fleetwood, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Sheffield Wednesday and Shrewsbury. It is their most league doubles in a season since 2018-2019 (8). The most they can achieve this season now is nine if they beat Oxford, MK Dons and Peterborough.
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
31. Slobodan Tedic
9. James Norwood
Substitutes:
3. Jon Russell (for Connell 63)
44. Devante Cole (for Norwood 63)
16. Luke Thomas (for Phillips 63)
10. Josh Benson (for Kane 70)
24. Robbie Cundy (for Larkeche 74)
Unused Substitutes:
40. Brad Collins, 47. Max Watters.
Forest Green Team:
31. Ross Doohan
22. Udoka Godwin-Malife
5. Oliver Casey
23. Brandon Cooper
12. Jamie Robson
17. Kyle McAllister
4. Dylan McGeouch (c)
27. Harvey Bunker
11. Jordon Garrick
48. Charlie Savage
30. Tyrese Omotoye
Substitutions:
25. Myles Peart-Harris (for McAllister 23)
29. Reece Brown (for McGeouch 58)
21. Amadou Bakayoko (for Savage 58)
3. Dominic Bernard (for Godwin-Malife 83)
20. Sean O'Brien (for Omotoye 83)
Unused Substitutes:
13. Alfie Burnett, 15. Jordan Moore-Taylor.
Match Reports:
Sky Bet League One Results:
SATURDAY 15TH APRIL 2023:
Exeter City (13th) 0-1 Plymouth Argyle (1st)
Butcher 70
Cambridge United (21st) 2-0 Peterborough United (6th)
Dunk 45+2
Smith 66
Accrington Stanley (23rd) 2-5 Fleetwood Town (14th)
Marriott 9
Marriott 35
Omochere 57
Nottingham 65
Leigh 81
Patterson 90
Marriott 90+3
Bristol Rovers (15th) 1-1 Derby County (7th)
McGoldrick 4
Evans pen 90+5
Burton Albion (16th) 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday (3rd)
Brayford 21
Paterson 28
Helm 34
Helm 37
Smith pen 85
Forest Green Rovers (24th) 1-5 BARNSLEY (4th)
Tedic 8
Phillips 29
Norwood 37
Phillips 53
Brown 74
Cole 90
Ipswich Town (2nd) 6-0 Charlton Athletic (11th)
Chaplin 7
Chaplin 14
Chaplin 70
Ladapo 75
Ladapo 84
Davis 90+5
Lincoln City (12th) 3-2 Port Vale (18th)
Sorensen 11
Taylor pen 30
Butterworth 33
House 42
Jackson 87
Milton Keynes Dons (19th) 2-2 Cheltenham Town (17th)
Bonds 12
Eisa 45+2
Eisa pen 59
May 90+7
Morecambe (22nd) 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers (8th)
Stockton 89
Oxford United (20th) 0-1 Bolton Wanderers (5th)
Charles 7
Shrewsbury Town (10th) 1-1 Portsmouth (9th)
Street 53
Pack 82
Barnsley lie in 4th place in Sky Bet League One with 81 points from 41 games. We are 12 points inside the Play-Offs, 4 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 5 points off First Place and 41 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 16/4/23
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty Two: Lincoln City v Barnsley, Tuesday 18th April 2023 Kick Off: 7:45pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty Three: Barnsley v Oxford United, Saturday 22nd April 2023. Kick Off: 3pm