Barnsley kicked off the
2026-2027 campaign by ensuring progression to the second round of the EFL Cup
for the third season in a row and for the fourth time in five seasons.
It is the first time they have
progressed beyond the opening round for three years in a row since a run of
four second round appearances between 2004-2005 and 2007-2008.
In all of the past three
seasons Barnsley have made it into the second round by defeating their first
round opponents on penalties with this is the second time in that run that the
opponent has been Wigan and the match finished 1-1. (also defeated Fleetwood
5-4 on pens after a 2-2 draw last season)
Indeed each of Barnsley’s last
four first round ties has been decided via the 12 yard lottery with the Reds
exiting 7-6 on penalties to Tranmere following a 2-2 draw in 2023-2024.
The Reds have now won each of
their last three penalty shootouts (all EFL Cup first round ties) having lost
four in a row prior.
It is the first time they have
won three successive shootouts since 2015-2026 when they defeated Scunthorpe in
the EFL Cup and both Wigan (again) and Fleetwood on their way to Johnstones
Paint Trophy glory.
This is the third time a season
has started with an EFL Cup tie rather than a league game (2026-2027, 2020-2021
and 2012-2013) with The Reds now progressing on each occasion – also defeating
Nottingham Forest 1-0 in 2020 and Rochdale 4-3 in 2012.
The shootout hero and indeed
Barnsley’s man of the match was 20 year old goalkeeper Rogan Ravenhill who made
his Barnsley debut following loan spells at Leamington and Macclesfield and was
also yellow carded in the 90th minute, which along with Kieren
Flavell’s booking in the final game of last season against Stockport means
Barnsley have had goalkeepers booked in successive games for the first time
since November 2022 when Jack Walton saw yellow at Bolton in the FA Cup and
then Brad Collins in the league at Shrewsbury.
Ravenhill is the first Barnsley
keeper to receive a booking in the season opener since Liam Roberts against
Port Vale in 2023-2024.
Wigan took the lead through
Dara Costelloe, he has scored only four goals in 46 appearances for the Latics
and 50% have been scored against Barnsley.
The Reds equaliser came via
Cameron McGeehan, his first goal for the Reds in six years since netting in a
4-2 Championship defeat against Stoke in November 2019.
It was his tenth career goal
for Barnsley, six of which have now come at Oakwell.
This was Daniel Stendel’s first
game in charge of Barnsley since a 5-1 defeat at Preston in October 2019,
excluding shootouts he has now failed to win any of his last 12 matches in
charge of the Reds (D4 L8)
Stendel is the fifth manager to
take charge of Barnsley in at least two different spells following Arthur
Fairclough, Johnny Steele, Allan Clarke and Danny Wilson.
There were 4,414 in attendance,
Barnsley’s lowest Saturday Oakwell crowd since 3,967 attended a FA Cup Second
Round tie against Crewe on the 26th November 2022.
Barnsley only made two
substitutions, the lowest amount in six outings.
This was the 24th
meeting between Barnsley and Wigan 12 (50%) of which have ended in a draw.
Incredibly each of the last
four meetings and six of the last seven have finished 1-1.
There has only been a decisive
result in three of the last 11 meetings (Wigan winning 3-2 in 2017, Barnsley
winning 2-0 in August 2023 and Wigan winning 1-0 in November 2024.
The home side has failed to
score more than once in any of the last ten meetings and in 13 of the last 14.
The Reds wretched home record
against the Latics continued, they have now met 12 times at Oakwell with
Barnsley winning just once – in the first Oakwell meeting in November 1954.
That is the also the only
Oakwell meeting they have netted more than once in each with of the last four
meetings finishing 1-1.
Barnsley:
25. Rogan Ravenhill
2. Arley Kay
4. Sam Gale
32. Josh Earl
36. Luke Alker
17. Amani Richards
8. Cameron McGeehan
22. Patrick Kelly
48. Luca Connell
19. Reyes Cleary
9. Makenzie Kirk
Substitutes:
30.
Jonathan Bland (for Kirk 45)
34. Noah Town (for Richards 82)
Unused
Substitutes:
28.
Jake Andrassy, 5. Jack Shepherd, 7. Corey O’Keeffe, 37. Callum Hudson, 38. Noah
Saunders.
Wigan Team:
1. Joe Walsh
23.
James Carragher
3.
Morgan Fox
22.
Jon Mellish
2.
Connor Barrett
8.
Max Power
6.
Jensen Weir
7.
Fraser Murray
19.
Chris Sze
11.
Dara Costelloe
9.
Sonny Perkins
Substitutions:
27. Tobias Brenan (for Sze 64)
21. K’Marni Miller (for Costelloe
74)
17. Akeel Higgins (for Barrett
74)
16. Archie Harris (for Perkins
83)
Unused
Substitutes:
12. Tom Watson, 4. Jeremiah
Chilokoa-Mullen, 15. Llyton Chapman, 53. Sam Bolland, 51. Harrison Rimmer.
EFL Cup Results
Thursday 6th August
Bristol City 0-1 Walsall
Pressley 47
Friday 7th August
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 Port Vale
Armstrong 14
Andre 34
Lopez 43
Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Stevenage
Kemp 27
Henderson 39
Magennis
90+5
Middlesbrough 1-0 Wrexham
Lankshear 61
Saturday 8th August
Cambridge United 2-1 Barnet
Tshimanga 49
Knight 52
Heath 57
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Millwall (Millwall win 2-0 on pens)
Cundle
53
Sykes og 86
AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Newport County (Wimbledon win 5-4 on pens)
Bamba 71
Maycock 90+7
BARNSLEY 1-1 Wigan Athletic (Barnsley win 6-5 on pens)
Costelloe 40
McGeehan 81
Bradford City 2-0 Rochdale
Swan 45+1
Baldwin 67
Bristol Rovers 0-1 Peterborough United
Leonard pen 19
Bromley 1-1 Reading (Reading win 5-4 on pens)
Stokes 14
Cheek 33
Burnley 1-1 Notts County (Burnley win 4-3 on pens)
Roberts 42
Flemming 47
Burton Albion 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Scutt 14
Gudjohnsen 81
Fevrier 88
Cardiff City 3-2 Swindon Town
Osho og 9
Salech pen 29
Salech 43
Glatzel 62
Moylan 77
Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Accrington Stanley
Lankester pen 7
Rawson 65
Moore 85
Derby County 1-2 Lincoln City
House 3
Jefferies 23
Szmodics 45+1
Fleetwood Town 1-0 Chesterfield
Evans 14
Gillingham 0-3 Luton Town
Wells 43
Benagr 59
Kodua 78
Grimsby Town 1-3 Blackpool
Ennis 3
Bowler 53
Rodgers 90+2
Kouassi 90+5
Leicester City 1-0 Northampton Town
Okoli 15
Leyton Orient 2-0 Oxford United
Mitchell 85
El Mizouni 88
Norwich City 4-1 MK Dons
Toure 1
Ben Slimane 7
Chrisene 43
Wintle 56
Brooks 59
Preston North End 1-1 Huddersfield Town (Preston win 4-3 on
pens)
Balker 38
Erabi 90+3
Salford City 1-1 Shrewsbury Town (Shrewsbury win 4-3 on pens)
Davison 47
Malcolm 77
Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
Lowe 70
Stockport County 1-1 Doncaster Rovers (Doncaster win 5-4 on
pens)
May 50
Wootton 51
Stoke City 2-0 Oldham Athletic
Norburn og 48
Bozenik 82
Swansea City 0-1 Birmingham City
Priske 44
Watford 1-0 Crawley Town
Bola 90+9
West Ham United 3-1 Portsmouth
Segecic 33
Castellanos 43
Bowen 45
Castellanos 50
Cheltenham Town 1-3 Charlton Athletic
Godden 22
Carey 24
Campbell 37
Miller 55
Colchester United 0-2 Southampton
Larin 72
Akachukwu 90+2
Rotherham United 1-4 West Bromwich Albion
Morgan 8
Whitwell 24
Myhre 55
Morgan 61
Tavares 87
Sunday 9th August
Mansfield Town 0-3 Sheffield United
Bamford 4
McGuinness 71
O’Hare 89
Monday 10th August
Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Exeter City
Hartridge 90+2
Pepple 90+4
Next Up:
At
Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday One: Barnsley v Bromley, Saturday 15th August 2026. Kick-Off 3pm
On
The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Two: Doncaster Rovers v Barnsley, Saturday 22nd August 2026. Kick-Off 12:30pm
