Barnsley scored three times away from home on Boxing Day for the first time in 22 years as they survived a second half fight-back to win at Port Vale for the second successive season.
The Reds are now unbeaten in their last seven Boxing Day matches (W3 D4) since a 1-0 defeat at Preston in 2014 (they did not play in 2015 and 2021)
And indeed in those seven undefeated fixtures Barnsley have alternated between a draw and a win each year.
The Reds were 3-0 up inside 37 minutes of a league match for the first time since the 15th April when they also went 3-0 up at Forest Green in the 37th minute – a game they went on to win 5-1.
This is the fifth time the Reds have been 3-0 up at half time in a League One game since returning to the division last year.
Following the 3-1 win at Reading in their previous away match it is the first time Barnsley have scored as many as three goals in successive away league games since February when Port Vale were again one of the victims (3-1) along with Cheltenham (4-0)
Barnsley have also won their last two away games by scoring three goals in each despite only having 41% ball possession in each.
Barnsley have the joint best away record in League One this season (7 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat) along with league leaders Portsmouth who with 22 goals are the only team to net more than Barnsley’s 21 on the road in 2023-2024.
It is the first time Barnsley have had only one away defeat by the end of the Boxing Day fixtures since 1978.
John McAtee scored his second brace for the Reds (and first in the league), both have come away from home as indeed have eight of his nine goals for Barnsley so far this season.
His second goal a stunner from just past halfway line was the 43rd league goal Barnsley have scored this season, only Peterborough (45) have netted more in League One.
Herbie Kane set up the opener, finished by Adam Phillips to give him five assists for the season – the most by a Barnsley player so far this season and only one less than his total for 2022-2023.
Kane has set up a goal in three of the last four matches and scored himself in the one game he did not assist.
This result brought Barnsley their first league double of 2023-2024 and the first time since 2019-2020 that a league double has been secured against their opening day opponents.
Barnsley have won both the game prior to Christmas and the Boxing Day fixture in the same season for the first time since 2018-2019 – they also won the match after Boxing Day in that campaign.
Luca Connell was booked after just 13 minutes, the earliest league booking since Adam Phillips was yellow carded after 12 minutes at Northampton on 23rd September.
Barnsley have now won three successive games against Port Vale, scoring a total of 13 goals in those matches, prior to this they had won only two of 14, losing eight.
It is only the second time Barnsley have scored at least three times in three successive games against Port Vale – the other occasion being between March and December 1921 (3-0, 3-2, 3-2)
It is only the second time the Reds have won successive matches at Port Vale with the other occasion way back in 1904-1906.
Prior to this current two match streak, Barnsley had lost six of their past seven visits.
They have though now won three successive league meetings at Port Vale for the first time ever.
Despite being on the losing side Port Vale had 22 shots, the most by a Barnsley opponent this season and most since Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off final in May.
Barnsley Team:
1. Liam Roberts
6. Mael de Gevigney
2. Jordan Williams
26. Jamie McCart
7. Nicky Cadden
22. Corey O’Keeffe
48. Luca Connell
30. Adam Phillips
8. Herbie Kane
45. John McAtee
44. Devante Cole
Substitutes:
3. Jon Russell (for Connell 45)
12. Fabio Jalo (for McAtee 64)
9. Sam Cosgrove (for Cole 64)
4. Kacper Lopata (for McCart 68)
Unused Substitutes:
23. Ben Killip, 17. Barry Cotter, 20. Callum Styles.
Port Vale Team:
1. Connor Ripley
16. Jason Lowe
27. Jesse Debrah
17. Alex Iacovitti
24. Rhys Walters
15. Conor Grant
19. Gavin Massey
8. Ben Garrity
9. Ryan Loft
10. Ethan Chislett
11. Alfie Devine
Substitutions:
12. Uche Ikpeazu (for Walters 45)
29. James Wilson (for Loft 45)
30. Ben Lomax (for Massey 76)
23. Jack Shorrock (for Iacovitti 77)
Unused Substitutes:
13. Jayson Leutwiler, 6. Nathan Smith, 5. Kofi Balmer.
SkyBet League One Results:
TUESDAY 26TH DECEMBER 2023:
Leyton Orient (13th) 1-0 Charlton Athletic (12th)
Beckles 80
Bristol Rovers (10th) 2-1 Portsmouth (1st)
Evans 66
Lane 76
Thomas 90+4
Burton Albion (18th) 1-0 Blackpool (8th)
Kamwa 10
Cheltenham Town (21st) 2-0 Shrewsbury Town (15th)
Lloyd 34
Lloyd 85
Exeter City (20th) 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers (17th)
Cox 65
Fleetwood Town (23rd) 1-1 Carlisle United (24th)
Moxon 27
Stockley 35
Lincoln City (9th) 0-1 Bolton Wanderers (3rd)
Toal 89
Oxford United (5th) 2-1 Cambridge United (14th)
Cousins 30
Goodrham 54
Brown 90+5
Peterborough United (2nd) 2-2 Reading (21st)
Knight 39
Smith 63
Mason-Clark 69
Azeez 85
Port Vale (16th) 2-3 Barnsley (7th)
Phillips 17
McAtee 32
McAtee 37
Chislett 72
Shorrock 90+3
Stevenage (6th) 3-0 Northampton Town (11th)
Reid 2
Roberts 42
List 67
Wigan Athletic (19th) 0-1 Derby County (4th)
Nelson 19
Barnsley lie in 7th place in Sky Bet League One with 41 points from 22 games. We are 2 points off the Play-Offs, 4 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 8 points off First Place and 22 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 28/12/23
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Twenty Three: Peterborough United v Barnsley, Friday 29th December 2023. Kick Off: 7:45pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Twenty Four: Barnsley v Wigan Athletic, Monday 1st January 2024. Kick Off: 3pm