Barnsley continue to stutter to
the end of a dismal 2025-2026 campaign as they suffered their 16th
defeat.
They have won only one of their
last 11 league games and only four of the last 16 which have come against sides
who currently occupy 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd
in the league table.
It is the first time they have
lost 16 third tier games in successive seasons for a decade (2014-2015 a total
of 18 and 2015-2016 a total of 16)
Despite the dismal form and
season it is only the third time they have lost successive league games this
season and first time since a run of three between the 20th and 29th
December (the other occasion occurred between the 20th and 27th
September)
Barnsley fell behind via a
penalty after 16 minutes, the 16th 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.
They
have conceded eight penalty league goals this season, double the amount from
last season and most in a campaign since 2016-2017 in the Championship (9)
The Reds have also now conceded
from a penalty in three of their last six matches.
It is the second earliest
penalty goal conceded this season only beaten by Burton’s Jake Beesley who
scored from 12 yards after only four minutes in Barnsley’s first home game.
Adam Phillips did bring
Barnsley level ten minutes later with his 10th goal of the season,
meaning he has reached double figures in all four seasons with the club (if he
doesn’t score again he will have hit exactly 10 in three of them), the first
Barnsley player to achieve such a feat since legendary captain Neil Redfearn
who achieved it in five successive seasons between 1993 and 1998.
However the familiar feeling of
defeat reared its head with 11 minutes of the regular 90 remaining with this
goal the 70th Barnsley have conceded in their 44 games so far, it is
the joint most in League One along with rock bottom Northampton who they face
in midweek.
Barnsley conceded a total of 73
goals in the 2024-2025 League One campaign however by this point (game 44) had
conceded 69 so it is the first time they have reached this 70 goal mark by this
stage of a season since the 2013-2014 Championship relegation season when they
had conceded 71 by game 44.
It is only the ninth time in 27
seasons this century that Barnsley have reached this mark for goals conceded
(86 in 2001-2002, 85 in 2006-2007, 74 in 2011-2012, 70 in 2012-2013, 77 in
2013-2014, 72 in 2017-2018, 73 in 2021-2022, 73 in 2024-2025, 70 and counting
in 2025-2026) –those latter two campaigns are the only third tier seasons in
that run with this the first time Barnsley have had successive third tier
seasons in which they have conceded at least 70 goals since 1963-1964 and
1964-1965 when they conceded 94 and 90 respectively.
Forgotten man Kelechi Nwakali
came off the bench for the second successive match, the first time he has
appeared in back to back matches for 12 months, starting against Wigan and
Exeter in March/April 2025.
Barnsley had five players yellow carded, the most for 30 games
(all comps) since also receiving five bookings at Peterborough on the 6th
December.
Three of those were defenders, the second time in five outings the
Reds have had three of their starting four defenders yellow carded.
Josh Earl was booked on 45+1 whilst Eoghan O’Connell went in on
90+5, the first time Barnsley have received yellow cards in both first half and
second half stoppage time since the 4th January 2025 against Crawley
when George Gent was booked 45+1 and Sam Cosgrove 90+3.
Two of yesterday’s yellows were for Luca Connell and Jonathan
Bland who are far and away the highest accumulators this season for Barnsley
with 13 each (Bland’s total includes a second booking to equal a red)
For
the first time in ten matches there were two first half goals scored in a
Barnsley match.
Luton’s victory nudges them
ahead in the head-head with the Hatters now recording 29 victories to Barnsley’s
28 (there has also been 10 draws)
The Reds have lost three of the
last four meetings (W1) and five of the last eight (W2 D1)
Three of the last five meetings
have finished 2-1 with Luton winning two of those including successive games at
Kenilworth Road.
Indeed both of Barnsley’s last
two visits has seen them lose 2-1 with one goal coming from a penalty.
Each of the last three Kenilworth
Road meetings have finished 2-1.
The last seven meetings has
alternated between both teams scoring and only one (2-1, 5-0, 2-1, 1-0, 2-1,
1-0, 1-1)
Back in November Barnsley recorded
their biggest win of the season by thumping Luton 5-0 at Oakwell however they
have failed to record a league double over them now in any of the past nine
seasons they have met in league combat, last achieving the feat in the
1995-1996 season when they won 1-0 at home and 3-1 away.
Barnsley have lost successive
visits to Luton for the first time in 58 years, last occurring in August 1967
and August 1968.
Prior to these back to back
reverses the Reds were unbeaten in seven visits (W5 D2) and had lost only one
of 10.
Despite the closeness in
overall wins Barnsley have now won only eight of 33 visits to Luton with this
the Hatters 18th victory on their own patch.
Luton also nudge one goal ahead
in the overall meetings as they have now scored 112 times to Barnsley’s 111.
There were 30 shots in the
game, the most in eight Barnsley matches.
Barnsley Team:
1. Owen Goodman
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:
17. Georgie Gent (for Earl 56)
10. David McGoldrick (for Bradshaw 56)
50. Kelechi Nwakali (for Bland 70)
18. Scott Banks (for Cleary 76)
39. Leo Farrell (for Phillips 76)
Unused
Substitutes:
51. Kieren Flavell, 5. Jack Shepherd.
Luton Team:
24. Josh Keeley
3. Kal Naismith
16. Hakeem Odoffin
5. Mads Andersen
25. Isaiah Jones
6. Davy van den Berg
8. Liam Walsh
14. Shayden Morris
32. Emilio Lawrence
54. Kasey Palmer
21.
Nahki Wells
Substitutions:
27. Jake Richards (for Vam den Berg 64)
22. Devante Cole (for Wells 64)
30. Gideon Kodua (for Lawrence 64)
17. Nigel Lonwijk (for Morris 90+3)
23. George Saville (for Palmer
86)
Unused
Substitutes:
1. James Shea, 12. Ali Al-Hamadi
League One Results
Saturday 25th April 2026:
Doncaster Rovers (14th) 1-1 Stevenage (6th)
Phillips
9
Sharp 69
Stockport County (4th) 3-1 Peterborough United (19th)
Leonard
13
Barry 28
Barry 48
Barry 64
Blackpool (13th) 1-0 Leyton Orient (20th)
Dennis og 22
Bradford City (5th) 1-1 Bolton Wanderers (3rd)
Kenny 72
Jackson 80
Burton Albion (17th) 1-1 Exeter City (21st)
Niskanen
14
Moon 61
Cardiff City (2nd) 5-1 Northampton Town (24th)
Tanner 9
Colwill 19
Robinson 37
Tanner 54
Evans 68
Salech 85
Huddersfield Town (9th) 1-4 Mansfield Town (11th)
Akins 15
Wallace
og 43
Hendry
51
Harness 60
Irow 65
Lincoln City (1st) 4-3 Wycombe Wanderers (12th)
Moylan 34
Hackett pen 38
Hackett 53
Scowen 57
Skura 74
Darikwa 83
Woodrow 90+4
Luton Town (7th) 2-1 BARNSLEY (15th)
Wells pen 16
Phillips 26
Palmer 79
Plymouth Argyle (8th) 2-1 Port Vale (23rd)
Pepple 3
Hall 14
Pepple 47
Rotherham United (22nd) 1-1 Reading (10th)
Nombe 25
Kyerewaa
47
Wigan Athletic (16th) 0-1 AFC Wimbledon (18th)
Hackford
90
Barnsley lie in 15th
place in Sky Bet League One with 56 points from 44 games. We are 16 points off the
Play-Offs, 35 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 44 points off First
Place and 7 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 26/4/26
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty
Five: Northampton Town v Barnsley, Tuesday 28th 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
