A truly
dismal campaign limped to its conclusion with the same scoreline it started
with nine months ago but whereas a 3-1 victory at Plymouth was the beginning of
Barnsley winning three of their opening four games of an unbeaten league start,
this 3-1 reverse to Stockport sees the Reds end with one win in six and only
two from the final 15.
They end the campaign having won
only five of the last 18 matches which have come against sides who have
finished the season in 18th, 20th, 21st, 23rd
and 24th.
It
was Barnsley’s 17th defeat from 46 League One matches which is
actually two less than last season but they finish 2025-2026 two points inferior
and three places lower in the standings than 2024-2025.
Their
total of 59 points is the club’s lowest total in a third tier season since
2002-2003 when they finished with 52 whilst their total of 15 victories is
their lowest at this level since 2003-2004 when they also only won 15.
Stockport
who secured a play-off place with this result become the EIGHTH side to score
at least three goals in a league game against Barnsley this season joining AFC
Wimbledon, Lincoln, Exeter, Mansfield, Cardiff, Bolton and Plymouth, the most
in a season since eight also did so in the Championship relegation season of
2021-2022.
It’s
the most in a third tier campaign since 1971-1972 when it occurred nine times.
County
had taken the lead before Adam Phillips
equalised with his 11th goal of the season – only in 2023-2024 with
12 has he netted more in a season for the club.
He
has now scored in forty different games for the club but they have won only 25
of them (62.5%)
Barnsley
fell behind again to yet another penalty, the ninth league goal to come against
them in this manner, the most in a season since 2016-2017 (also nine)
It
was also the 17th successive
spot kick converted against Barnsley (excluding shootouts), Charlton’s Chuks
Aneke was the last player to fail from 12 yards against Barnsley back in April
2024.
Barnsley
have now won only one of their last six final day games (last season’s 4-2 triumph
at Reading) with this the seventh defeat in the last 13.
This
scoreline also means Barnsley concede exactly 73 league goals for the second
successive season and also in three of the last five (also 2021-2022), they
last conceded more in a season in the Championship relegation of 2013-2014 (77)
whilst they last conceded more in a third tier campaign in 1964-1965 (90)
In
2025-2026 only rock bottom Northampton conceded more (74) and it is the first
time they have been this high up in a division’s highest conceders since
2013-2014 when their total of 77 was the most in the Championship.
Since
a shock fifth place finish in the COVID Championship campaign of 2020-2021
Barnsley’s league standing has got worse each season (24th
Championship, 4th League One, 6th League One, 12th
League One, 15th League One) – the first time they have declined in
five successive seasons since between 1948-1949 and 1952-1953 in the second
tier when they had seasons of 9th, 13th, 15th,
20th and 22nd place finishes.
This
15th place finish in the third tier is Barnsley’s lowest in the
football pyramid for 23 years since finishing 19th in this league in
2002-2003 – it is Barnsley’s lowest finish since the EFL structure changed its
names to Championship/League One/League Two.
It
also comes on both the 10 and 20 year anniversaries since winning promotion via
the play-offs from this league having done so in both 2005-2006 and 2015-2016.
Barnsley
have had successive seasons without either a promotion, playoff or relegation finish
for the first time since 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 when they had back to back 21st
place Championship finishes. It is the club’s first back-back midtable finishes
between 12th and 15th since 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 at
this level when they finished 12th and 13th.
They
finish only ten points clear of the League One relegation zone, the smallest gap
since another ten point margin in 2004-2005.
This is the first time Barnsley
have lost 17 third tier games in successive seasons for 54 years when they lost
18 in 1970-1971 and then 19 in 1971-1972 when they were relegated.
Stockport picked up their 31st
victory from 97 meetings with Barnsley pushing them up to just one behind the
Reds total.
Barnsley have failed to beat
the Hatters in any of the last six meetings (D4 L2)
This was Stockport’s fifth
victory from 13 in the 21st Century.
It is the first time Stockport
have won at Oakwell for six visits, four of which had ended in draws with this
ending a run of three Oakwell stalemates between the two sides.
Stockport have scored exactly
three times in three of their last four visits however the other two occasions
had ended in 3-3 draws.
Barnsley have kept only one
clean sheet in the last 12 Oakwell meetings.
There were 14 shots on target
in the game the most in 19 Barnsley matches since Bolton away on the 7th
February (also 14)
Nine of those were from
Stockport, the most by an opponent at Oakwell in a league game this season with
only Brighton (12) in the League Cup having more.
It is the most by a league
opponent at Oakwell since Lincoln (10) in March 2024.
Stockport won 11 corners, the
most by an opponent since Cardiff on the 10th March (13), 12 matches
ago.
Barnsley:
51 Kieren Flavell
6. Maël de Gevigney
15. Eoghan O'Connell
32. Josh Earl
7. Corey O'Keeffe
30. Jonathan Bland
48. Luca Connell
8. Adam Phillips
19. Reyes Cleary
22. Patrick Kelly
9. Tom Bradshaw
Substitutes:
20. Charlie Lennon (for Phillips 64)
4. Marc Roberts (for de Gevigney 72)
39. Leo Farrell (for Bradshaw 72)
50. Kelechi Nwakali (for Connell 82)
18. Scott Banks (for Bland 82)
Unused
Substitutes:
1.
Owen Goodman, 17. Georgie Gent.
Stockport Team:
34
Corey Addai
15.
Ethan Pye
19.
Kyle Wootton
14.
Tayo Edun
2.
Josh Dacres-Cogley
26.
Oliver Norwood
27.
Odin Bailey
28.
Josh Stokes
23.
Ben Osborn
20.
Louie Barry
29.
Adama Sidibeh
Substitutions:
9. Tanto Olaofe (for Sidibeh 73)
22. Benoný Breki Andrésson (for
Barry 73)
12. Roman Dixon (for
Dacres-Cogley 81)
18. Lewis Fiorini (for Stokes 81)
48. Che Gardner (for Bailey 90+10)
Unused
Substitutes:
1. Ben Hinchliffe, 11. Malik
Mothersille.
League One Results
SATURDAY 2ND MAY 2026:
AFC Wimbledon (19th) 0-4 Huddersfield Town (9th)
Sorensen
10
May 57
Sebine
66
May 72
BARNSLEY (15th) 1-3 Stockport County (3rd)
Sidibeh 23
Phillips 52
Norwood pen 71
Andresson 90+9
Bolton Wanderers (5th) 2-3 Luton Town (7th)
Clark
pen 15
Osei-Tutu 20
Cissoko 45+3
Odoffin
62
Morris
90+3
Exeter City (21st) 1-2 Bradford City (4th)
Jackson 27
Sarcevic 79
Magennis 90+3
Leyton Orient (20th) 2-2 Burton Albion (17th)
Forrester 2
Tavares
34
Ballard 51
Hartridge
58
Mansfield Town (10th) 5-4 Cardiff City (2nd)
Sweeney 2
Akins 23
Akins 26
Davies
61
Oates 63
Kellyman
66
Irow 79
Kpakio
86
Kellyman
90+3
Northampton Town (24th) 2-3 Plymouth Argyle (8th)
List 13
Jacobs 18
Tolaj
28
Boateng
40
Wiredu
74
Peterborough United (18th) 1-3 Doncaster Rovers (14th)
Sharp
54
Sharp
73
Leonard 76
Sharp
79
Port Vale (22nd) 0-2 Lincoln City (1st)
House 9
Street 49
Reading (12th) 0-1 Blackpool (13th)
Hamilton 75
Stevenage (6th) 1-0 Wigan Athletic
Sweeney 90+2
Wycombe Wanderers (11th) 3-2 Rotherham United (23rd)
Allen 11
Holmes
17
Holmes
22
Fink 25
Olabiyi 90+1
Barnsley finish in 15th
place in Sky Bet League One with 59 points from 46 games. We finish 16 points
off the Play-Offs, 32 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 44 points off
First Place and 10 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 3/5/26
Next Up:
On
The Road:
2026-2027
At
Oakwell:
2026-2027
