This was only Barnsley's second goal-less game of the season and is their first on the road in 13 months since a score-less draw at Brentford on the 16th January 2017 - 29 away games ago (all comps)
It is the first goal-less game witnessed at Kenilworth Road in THREE YEARS! Luton had not drawn 0-0 in front of their own supporters since the 16th January 2016 against Cambridge United.
This is the ninth time a Barnsley match has been goal-less at half time this season - ironically the 1st January 2017 was also the ninth time a Barnsley match had been goal-less at half time last season.
The Reds have now kept clean sheets in each of their past three opening matches of a calendar year and are unbeaten in the last four (W3 D1)
Their only defeat in their last six opening fixtures of a calendar year came in the FA Cup (W3 D2 L1) with their last league defeat in this particular fixture coming in 2013 at Peterborough.
This was the first time Barnsley have drawn 0-0 in their first fixture of the year since 2006 at Chesterfield.
Barnsley have remained unbeaten across the entire festive period - game prior to Christmas, Boxing Day, game following and the first fixture of the new year - for the first time since 2016-2017 when they won 4-3 at Cardiff prior to Christmas, defeated Blackburn 2-0 on Boxing Day, drew 2-2 with Birmingham following and then won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in the first game of 2017.
Barnsley have kept three clean sheets in their past four matches, after keeping just one in the eight prior (all comps)
It means Barnsley still have the best defensive record in League One having conceded 22 goals in 24 matches, one less than Portsmouth and Sunderland and two less than today's opponents.
This was the Reds 11th league clean sheet of the season - their most since keeping 14 in 2016-2017.
Six of those 11 have come on the road - again their best since 2016-2017 (8)
Barnsley are now unbeaten in five league matches (W3 D2) - all against teams who were in the top eight when Barnsley faced them - it is their best run since remaining undefeated in their first six league games of the season.
This was the first draw between Barnsley and Luton in six meetings with their previous stalemate - in 2004 - also being goal-less.
It is the first ever goal-less meeting at Kenilworth Road
Barnsley became only the third team to take points off Luton at Kenilworth Road this season and the first since Charlton at the end of September - the Hatters had won seven home league games in a row prior to today.
Since Barnsley defeated Luton at Oakwell on the 13th October only two other teams has taken points off them home or away since (W10 D2)
It was though probably not surprising that this game finished goal-less as only Luton (2) and Southend (3) have dropped less points from winning positions than Barnsley's four this season.
Prior to December no team had more ball possession than Barnsley this season (29 matches) but it has now happened twice in the past four. Blackpool had 53% on the 22nd and now Luton have also enjoyed 53%
Luton had nine shots in the game - the most by a Barnsley opponent on their own pitch since Shrewsbury at the end of October (10)
The Hatters managed to win eight corners, again the most by an opponent (home or away) in the league since Shrewsbury (8)
Barnsley Team:
1. Adam Davies (c)
12. Dimitri Cavaré
5. Ethan Pinnock
6. Liam Lindsay
28. Ben Williams
8. Cameron McGeehan
26. Mamadou Thiam
4. Kenny Dougall
27. Alex Mowatt
20. Brad Potts
25. Cauley Woodrow
Substitutes:
21. Mike-Steven Bähre (for Dougall 64)
33. Jacob Brown (for Thiam 76)
29 Victor Adeboyejo (Potts 89)
Unused Substitutes:
7. Ryan Hedges, 10. George Moncur, 18. Adam Jackson, 35. Jake Greatorex
Luton Team:
36. James Shea
7. Jack Stacey
5. Sonny Bradley (c)
6. Matty Pearson
2. James Justin
4. Alan McCormack
17. Pelly Ruddock
11. Andrew Shinnie
10. Elliot Lee
19. James Collins
9. Danny Hylton
Substitutions:
8. Luke Berry (for Cornick 90+1)
14. Harry Cornick (for Lee 88)
25. Kazenga LuaLua (for Shinnie 90+5)
Unused Substitutes:
18. Jorge Grant, 28. Lloyd Jones, 40. Harry Isted, 44. Alan Sheehan
Luton manager Nathan Jones said:
"I thought it was a really good game, a really good game of football. Two good sides – they're a very good side, as I have said I felt they're the best we have played this season up there.
"They're a side that are physical, they press, they work hard and they can push you off your stride if you're not at it and they restricted our passing game today, they really did. Especially early on they had that. On the balance of play I thought it was a fair result, overall I think we have had slightly more chances, but you'd expect that being the home side and I think it's a fair result and a good result.
"These are a good and we've got to remember where we came from, they were Championship last year, so this time last year we were two leagues apart, and now we are six points above them. We have come a long way."
Match Reports:
Sky Bet League One results:
Tuesday 1st January 2019:
(10th) Blackpool 0-1 Sunderland (3rd)
Maja 23
(20th) Bradford City 3-0 Accrington Stanley (12th)
O'Brien 21
Doyle 30
Wood 49
(19th) Bristol Rovers 0-0 Burton Albion (13th)
(5th) Charlton Athletic 2-1 Walsall (15th)
Grant 6
Taylor pen 9
Cook 47
(6th) Doncaster Rovers 5-0 Rochdale (17th)
May 1
Crawford 23
Marquis 34
Marquis 75
Coppinger 82
(2nd) Luton Town 0-0 Barnsley (4th)
(7th) Peterborough United 0-2 Scunthorpe United (21st)
Novak 5
Novak 57
(23rd) Plymouth Argyle 3-0 Oxford United (22nd)
Sarcevic 9
Lameiras 41
Lameiras 67
(1st) Portsmouth 2-1 AFC Wimbledon (24th)
Lowe 8
Appiah 75
Curtis 80
(16th) Shrewsbury Town 0-0 Fleetwood Town (11th)
(9th) Southend United 2-0 Gillingham (18th)
Mantom 40
Moore 90+5
(14th) Wycombe Wanderers 0-2 Coventry City (8th)
Chaplin pen 34
Clarke-Harris 62
Barnsley remain in 4th place in Sky Bet League One with 46 points from 25 games. We are 2 points inside the Play-Offs, 6 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 9 points off First Place and 19 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 01/01/19
Next Up:
On The Road:
FA Cup Third Round: Burnley v Barnsley, Saturday 5th January 2019. Kick-Off: 12:30pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Twenty Six: Barnsley v Bradford City, Saturday 12th January 2019. Kick-Off: 3pm