Barnsley kept their slim play-off hopes alive as they cut the gap to seven points by ending a six match winless run in the South Yorkshire derby on what was the club’s 5,000th Football League game.
This 1,791st victory (and 555th away from Oakwell) was secured by a second half penalty from Adam Phillips, the first time a spot-kick has been the decisive goal in a Barnsley win since January 2024 when Herbie Kane’s penalty secured a 2-1 home win over Carlisle.
Remarkably it is the first time it has secured a win on the road since December 2009 in the Championship when an 88th minute spot-kick from Andy Gray secured a 2-1 win at Blackpool.
This was only Barnsley’s third League One penalty this season, the other two coming in August (at Crawley) and September (against Stockport) with Adam Phillips netting all three.
It was Phillips eighth goal of the season in all competitions, all coming in eight separate games and Barnsley remain unbeaten when he has netted (W6 D2)
This was Barnsley’s ninth away league win of the season, the joint most in the division along with the top two sides Birmingham and Wycombe, however this result ended a run of three successive away defeats.
This was Barnsley’s first 1-0 away win in 13 months since achieving this scoreline at Oxford in January 2024 – this was their 13th away league win since then.
This was the ninth Barnsley league match to be goal-less at half time and only the second they have gone on to win, the other being 3-1 at Peterborough in December.
This was only Barnsley’s sixth clean sheet from 32 matches, two of which have come in their last four outings. Indeed each of the last three matches that the Reds haven’t lost they have kept clean sheets in.
Four of their six shutouts in 2024-2025 have come against two clubs, Rotherham and Crawley which has ensured the Reds have completed a league double against them, the only two clubs so far that Barnsley have beaten home and away this season.
Each of Barnsley’s last five matches that have not ended in a draw have finished either 1-0 or 2-1 – out of their 32 league matches so far 16 of them have either finished 2-1 or 1-0 (12x2-1 4x1-0)
However this was Barnsley’s first 1-0 league win this season and first since the aforementioned game at Oxford 13 months ago.
They have scored exactly one goal in each of their last four away matches.
Joe Gauci had to be substituted after 75 minutes to give Jackson Smith his Reds debut, the first time there has had to be a goalkeeper change in a match since September 2022 when Brad Collins was replaced by Jamie Searle after 59 minutes at Cambridge.
Luca Connell picked up his tenth yellow card of the season meaning he will be suspended for the next two matches, eight of those bookings however came in 2024.
This result continued Barnsley’s remarkable record against their South Yorkshire rivals from 15 miles down the road with this their sixth successive win against the Millers.
They are now unbeaten in 13 meetings in all competitions stretching back to a 1-0 defeat at Millmoor in October 1982.
The Reds have never lost at Rotherham’s current home – the New York Stadium – winning on all three visits.
That defeat 43 years ago is their only reverse against the Millers in the last 18 clashes, of which the Reds have won 14.
Barnsley have also now kept three successive clean sheets against Rotherham and have conceded only one goal in the last six meetings and only two in the last eight.
Barnsley have now done a league double over Rotherham in each of the last three seasons they have met – 2016-2017, 2020-2021, 2024-2025.
Both Barnsley and Rotherham had 10 shots, the first time both Barnsley and their opponents have had the same amount of shots since 21st December when both Barnsley and Leyton Orient also had 10.
Either Barnsley or their opponents have had exactly 10 shots in each of the last three games.
There were though only five shots on target, the lowest for 13 matches since there were only five in the game against Wigan on 23rd November.
There were 25 fouls, the most in a Barnsley game in 2025.
Barnsley Team:
18. Joe Gauci
32. Josh Earl
6. Mael de Gevigney
4. Marc Roberts
7. Corey O’Keeffe
8. Adam Phillips
48. Luca Connell
3. Jon Russell
22. Neil Farrugia
40. Davis Keillor-Dunn
44. Stephen Humphrys
Substitutes:
20. Dexter Limbikisa (for Farrugia 64)
33. Clement Rodrigues (for Humphrys 64)
12. Jackson Smith (for Gauci 75)
10. Josh Benson (for Phillips 87)
Unused Substitutes:
21. Conor McCarthy, 50. Kelechi Nwakali, 14. Jonathan Lewis.
Rotherham Team:
20. Dillon Phillips
2. Joe Rafferty
22. Hakeem Odoffin
16. Zak Jules
6. Reece James
25. Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu
15. Louie Sibley
7. Joe Powell
10. Jordan Hugill
8. Sam Nombe
12. Mallik Wilks
Substitutions:
11. Andre Green (for Hugill 45)
9. Jonson Clarke-Harris (for Sibley 63)
28. Joshua Kayode (for Powell 86)
Unused Substitutes:
1. Cameron Dawson, 17. Shaun McWilliams, 35. Ben Hatton, 23. Jack Holmes.
Sky Bet League One Results:
Saturday 22nd February 2025:
Reading (9th) 0-0 Birmingham City (1st)
Rotherham United (14th) 0-1 BARNSLEY (10th)
Phillips pen 52
Blackpool (11th) 3-1 Crawley Town (22nd)
Ennis 10
Ennis 18
Doyle 30
Evans pen 79
Bolton Wanderers (8th) 2-1 Leyton Orient (6th)
Kelman 40
McAtee 60
Morley pen 75
Cambridge United (24th) 2-0 Stockport County (4th)
Stokes 9
Stokes 43
Charlton Athletic (7th) 3-0 Exeter City (18th)
MacDonald og 20
Campbell 68
Leaburn 84
Huddersfield Town (5th) 0-1 Peterborough United (20th)
Kyprianou 45+4
Lincoln City (13th) 0-1 Burton Albion (21st)
Webster 90+2
Northampton Town (17th) 2-1 Bristol Rovers (19th)
Sinclair 46
Costelloe 61
Guinness-Walker 78
Shrewsbury Town (23rd) 0-1 Stevenage (12th)
Pierre og 8
Wycombe Wanderers (2nd) 0-0 Wigan Athletic (16th)
Sunday 23rd February 2025:
Mansfield Town (15th) 1-2 Wrexham (3rd)
MacDonald og 2
MacDonald 16
Cleworth 58
Barnsley lie in 10th place in Sky Bet League One with 46 points from 32 games. We are 7 points off the Play-Offs, 18 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 24 points off First Place and 14 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 23/2/25
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Three: Northampton Town v Barnsley, Tuesday 25th February 2025. Kick Off: 7:45pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Four: Barnsley v Lincoln City, Saturday 1st March 2025. Kick Off: 3pm