It is now perfect symmetry from
Barnsley’s 42 league games – they have won 14, drawn 14 and lost 14 following a
sixth stalemate in 10 outings.
It is the most league draws
Barnsley have had in a season for eight years, also having 14 stalemates in the
Championship in 2017-2018, a year they were relegated.
They have had back to back
league draws on three separate occasions for the first time since 2021-2022
when it occurred on four occasions.
The match started in the worst
possible way for Barnsley with a red card for Vimal Yoganathan after just eight
minutes, Barnsley’s earliest sending off since Mael de Gevigney was ordered off
after only three minutes at Birmingham 12 months ago.
It was Yoganathan’s second red
card of the season, de Gevigney also received two in 2024-2025, the first time
Barnsley have had a player receive multiple reds in successive seasons for 20
years since Tony Vaughan in 2004-2005 and Paul Reid in 2005-2006.
Barnsley have drawn each of
their last three matches in which they have ended it with 10 men.
Despite losing a man early
doors the Reds opened the scoring through Eoghan O’Connell, the Irishman’s
first goal in exactly three years, last netting on April Fool’s Day 2023
against Oldham for Wrexham in the National League. It is his first EFL goal
since the 17th October 2022 for Charlton against Portsmouth in
League One.
It is only the second time a
defender has opened the scoring for Barnsley this season with Josh Earl also
doing so against Reading in September.
It is the first time a defender
has scored Barnsley’s first goal of a game on the road since Earl also did so
in a 3-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers in January 2025 and the first time it has
been the opening goal on the road since Donovan Pines netted in a 3-1 win at
Peterborough in December 2024.
After conceding the equaliser
Barnsley fell behind to an own goal from Marc Roberts, the first time the
opposition have benefited from this for over two years since Mael de Gevigney
put into his own net against Cambridge at Oakwell in March 2024.
It is the second own goal
Roberts has scored in a Reds shirt after also doing so in a 5-3 League Cup
defeat to Everton in August 2015.
The point was secured by an
injury time goal and first career strike by 20 year old Leo Farrell, the sixth
time Barnsley have netted in injury time this season.
It was also Barnsley’s sixth
league 2-2 draw of 2025-2026, of the 14 stalemates they have had it is level
with the amount of 1-1s.
It is their most league 2-2s
since 2004-2005 when they registered seven.
All four goals were scored in
the second half, the first time there has been this many after half time in a
league game since the final day of last season when six were scored in a 4-2
win at Reading.
It is the first time there has
been four second half goals in a Oakwell league game since March 2025 in a 4-3
win over Lincoln.
Farrell’s goal was set up by
Reyes Cleary, his 15th assist of the season, the
most by a Barnsley player since his head coach Conor Hourihane set up 19 goals
a decade ago in 2015-2016.
There
were 14,906 in attendance for this Yorkshire derby – only against fellow West
Yorkshire side Huddersfield has there been more inside Oakwell this season,
15,783 attending that game in August.
Each
of Barnsley’s last three home games have seen attendances in excess of 10,000,
prior to this the Reds went eight successive home league games with a five
figure crowd.
Barnsley have had successive
games with no first half goals and there has only been two scored in the last
six outings.
After ending their 26 game run
without a clean sheet last time out against Port Vale the Reds were back
conceding multiple goals – the 20th in 42 league games they have
conceded more than one goal.
They have now conceded 67 league
goals in 2025-2026, only two teams (Leyton Orient and Wimbledon) have conceded
more in League One this season, both letting in 68, however both have played
two games more than Barnsley.
Both league meetings between
Barnsley and Bradford have finished 2-2, the first time in 20 years both
meetings have ended in stalemates – both meetings finished 0-0 in 2005-2006.
It means the Reds have now lost
only one of the last nine clashes in all competitions (W5 D3 L1) and only two
of the last 16 (W7 D7 L2)
The home side has netted at
least twice in each of the last five meetings.
Barnsley Team:
1. Owen Goodman
7. Corey O’Keeffe
4. Marc Roberts
15. Eoghan O’Connell
32. Josh Earl
8. Adam Phillips
30. Jonathan Bland
22. Patrick Kelly
45. Vimal Yoganathan
18. Scott Banks
9. Tom Bradshaw
Substitutes:
6. Mael de Gevigney (for Earl 45)
19. Reyes Cleary (for Banks
61)
48. Luca Connell (for Phillips
62)
27. Tennai Watson (for Bradshaw
79)
39. Leo Farrell (for O’Keeffe 89)
Unused
Substitutes:
51.
Kieren Flavell, 5. Jack Shepherd.
Bradford Team:
1. Sam Walker
28.
Matthew Pennington
15.
Aden Baldwin
26.
Curtis Tilt
7.
Josh Neufville
21.
Jenson Metcalfe
6.
Max Power
3,
Ibou Touray
24.
Will Swann
11.
Stephen Humphreys
19.
Kayden Jackson
Substitutions:
10.
Antoni Sarcevic (for Pennington 65)
32.
George Lapslie (for Metcalfe 66)
22.
Nick Powell (for Swann 66)
33.
Harrison Ashby (for Jackson 66)
8.
Lee Evans (for Neufville 88)
Unused
Substitutes:
25. Joe Hilton, 4. Joe Wright.
League One Results
Saturday 18th April:
BARNSLEY (12th) 2-2 Bradford City
(4th)
O’Connell 50
Powell
73
Roberts
og 82
Farrell 90+6
Bolton Wanderers (3rd) 3-3 Huddersfield Town (9th)
Toal 14
Kasumu
52
Harness
pen 55
Kasumu
66
Kenny 77
Cissoko 90+11
AFC Wimbledon (20th) 1-3 Plymouth Argyle (7th)
Mitchell 6
Smith 51
Tolaj 68
Pepple 76
Exeter City (21st) 3-3 Stockport County (5th)
Mothersille 9
Stokes 29
Cole 35
Tutierov 70
Bailey 77
Bycroft 90+6
Leyton Orient (19th) 0-2 Rotherham United (22nd)
Gray 24
Nombe 73
Mansfield Town (15th) 2-2 Luton Town (8th)
Russell 21
Russell 28
Palmer 40
Morris 50
Northampton Town (24th) 1-3 Doncaster Rovers (14th)
Lee 50
Adelakun
57
Broadbent
90+3
McGeehan 90+6
Reading (10th) 1-3 Cardiff City (2nd)
Colwill 40
Kellyman 55
Kyerewaa 73
Ng 86
Stevenage (6th) 2-2 Lincoln City (1st)
Thompson 3
Darikwa 17
Reid 27
Street 90+1
Wycombe Wanderers (11th) 0-1 Blackpool (16th)
Leahy og
48
Sunday 19th April
Peterborough United (17th) 1-1 Burton Albion (18th)
Webster
44
Leonard 60
Port Vale (23rd) 0-0 Wigan Athletic (13th)
Barnsley lie in 12th
place in Sky Bet League One with 56 points from 42 games. We are 12 points off the
Play-Offs, 29 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 38 points off First
Place and 8 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 20/4/26
Next Up:
On
The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty Three: Stevenage v Barnsley, Tuesday 21st April 2026. Kick-Off: 7:45pm
At
Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty Six: Barnsley v Stockport County, Saturday 2nd May 2026. Kick-Off: 3pm
