Barnsley slipped four points off the play-offs as their winless run stretched to five matches – their joint longest winless league run of the season with Darrell Clarke becoming the first Barnsley manager to endure such a run twice in the same third tier season since Paul Hart 20 years ago.
It was their 11th league defeat of the season, the joint most amongst the division’s top 13 teams along with Bolton.
This game was Barnsley’s 30th League One game of the season and they sit on 43 points, THIRTEEN point less than they have accrued at this stage of each of the past two seasons when they have gone on to make the play-offs.
They have only one point more than they had at this stage of the ultimately historic 2015-2016 League One season when they went on to win promotion but had been in the relegation zone at Christmas. They were eight points off the play-offs at this stage nine years ago.
The Reds were 2-0 down at half time for only the second time this season (also in the 4-0 home defeat to Leyton Orient in December) which equals the same amount as in 2023-2024 – however they were 3-0 down in one game that season also.
The second goal came from the penalty spot, it is the second successive away game in which Barnsley have conceded from a penalty and third overall in League One this season.
Barnsley have now conceded a goal from the last four league penalties they have conceded with Charlton’s Chuks Aneke the last to miss in April.
Barnsley did pull a goal back in the 90th minute – the fourth league goal that has been scored in the 90th minute or later this season with this the first one to come in a defeat.
It was scored by top scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn who grabbed his 11th for the club, all 11 have come in different games with this the first time it has been in a losing effort (W8 D2)
Barnsley lost only three of their first 12 league away games of the season which at the time gave them the second best away record in the division – however they have equalled that tally in their last three on the road which despite still giving them the third best away record is the first time they have lost three successive away league games this season, last happening when they lost each of their final four of the regular season in 2023-2024.
This was the 11th Barnsley league game to finish 2-1 this season (37%) 7 wins and 4 defeats. It is the most times this scoreline has occurred in a league season since 2020-2021 when it happened on 12 occasions (9 wins, 3 defeats)
This was the first Barnsley league match this season to see no yellow cards handed out to either team and the first time in any league game since the 1st April 2024 at Burton.
Darrell Clarke made only two substitutions for the second successive game despite Barnsley failing to win either of them. Prior to this you had to go back 15 games for him to have made such a low amount - making only one against Cambridge on the 16th November.
This was Barnsley’s first visit to Edgeley Park for 20 years with this their third defeat in the last six visits (W2 D1)
Stockport have scored exactly twice in each of their last three home meetings with Barnsley.
Overall however this was Barnsley’s first defeat against Stockport in seven meetings with this loss ending a run of three stalemates of 3-3, 2-2 and 1-1.
It was only Barnsley’s second defeat in 10 meetings (W3 D5) stretching back to 2001.
There were only five corners in the game – the joint lowest in a Barnsley league game this season (also at home to Northampton in August), it is the lowest in an away league game since December 2022 at Peterborough (also 5)
Barnsley Team:
18. Joe Gauci
7. Corey O’Keeffe
6. Mael de Gevigney
5. Donovan Pines
32. Josh Earl
50. Kelechi Nwakali
8. Adam Phillips
3. Jon Russell
48. Luca Connell
33. Clement Rodrigues
40. Davis Keillor-Dunn
Substitutes:
22. Neil Farrugia (for Rodrigues 45)
20. Dexter Lembikisa (for Nwakali 64)
Unused Substitutes:
12. Jackson Smith, 21. Conor McCarthy, 17. Georgie Gent, 10. Josh Benson, 43. Josiah Dyer.
Stockport Team:
1. Ben Hinchliffe
2. Kyle Knoyle
16. Callum Connolly
15. Ethan Pye
33. Brad Hills
26. Oliver Norwood
4. Lewis Bate
3. Ibou Touray
14. Will Collar
9. Isaac Olaofe
19. Kyle Wootton
Substitutions:
21. Owen Moxon (for Knoyle 67)
22. Benony Andresson (for Olaofe 68)
27. Odin Bailey (for Bate 80)
Unused Substitutes:
34. Corey Addai, 23. Ryan Rydel, 28. Micah Hamilton, 7. Jack Diamond.
Sky Bet League One Results:
Friday 7th February 2025:
Mansfield Town (14th) 0-1 Northampton Town (17th)
McGeehan 55
Saturday 8th February 2025:
Stockport County (4th) 2-1 BARNSLEY (10th)
Olaofe 31
Collar pen 35
Keillor-Dunn 90
Charlton Athletic (6th) 2-0 Stevenage (12th)
Godden 44
Berry 48
Bolton Wanderers (7th) 4-3 Crawley Town (23rd)
Hepburn-Murphy 50
Osei-Tutu 52
Swan 54
Hepburn-Murphy 62
Murphy 68
Sheehan 85
Barker og 90+9
Burton Albion (21st) 1-1 Blackpool (13th)
Burrell 19
Morgan 90+4
Huddersfield Town (5th) 0-0 Reading (8th)
Lincoln City (11th) 1-1 Cambridge United (24th)
Draper 17
Gibbons 42
Rotherham United (15th) 1-2 Shrewsbury Town (22nd)
Perry 68
Odoffin 76
Marquis 77
Barnsley lie in 10th place in Sky Bet League One with 43 points from 30 games. We are 4 points off the Play-Offs, 16 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 20 points off First Place and 17 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 9/2/25
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty One: Barnsley v Huddersfield Town, Saturday 15th February 2025. Kick Off: 3pm
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Two: Rotherham United v Barnsley, Saturday 22nd February 2025. Kick Off: 12:30pm
