A relegation battle now looks well underway for Barnsley as they
slipped to their fourth successive league defeat and sixth in seven outings
which leaves them second bottom of the third tier.
It is their longest league losing run since suffering defeat in
each of their final five Championship games of 2021-2022 and the opener in
League One of 2022-2023.
It is their longest losing run in the third tier since a run of
eight in 2015-2016.
This quadruple of reverses is part of a run of six in all
competitions (also two in the EFL Trophy) their longest losing run since the
aforementioned run in 2022 and their longest in the same season since another
run of six between 22nd January 2022 and 8th February
2022.
As mentioned before this reverse saw Barnsley slump to just one
place off the foot of the table, their lowest position in the football pyramid
since the 11th December 2015 when they were rock bottom of League
One – the following day they won 3-2 at Colchester which was the first of 17
wins in 26 games that saw them finish sixth and win promotion via the
play-offs.
For the fourth time in 11 league games this season Barnsley lost a
match in which they had opened the scoring, the second time in three seasons it
has occurred on four occasions.
Three of the occasions in both campaigns have occurred after
Barnsley went into the break in front.
It had all started so well for Barnsley again when Vimal
Yoganathan gave them the lead after just seven minutes, Barnsley’s earliest
league strike since Boxing Day 2025 when Reyes Cleary netted after two minutes
against Mansfield (another game they would go on to lose) whilst it’s the
earliest away league goal since the 3rd February 2024 when Devante
Cole scored after five minutes at Bolton.
It is the third game Yoganathan has scored in this season (all
comps) and Barnsley have lost all three.
In all competitions Yoganathan
has been involved in three goals in his last four appearances (2 goals 1
assist)
His goal at Reading was the
third of Barnsley’s last four goals not to be directly assisted by a team-mate.
It is their tenth goal from 22
(all competitions) this season to not have a direct assist (45%)
The game was turned on its head
by a Kyreece Lisbie double – the third Barnsley away game in five (all comps)
where an opponent has netted a brace.
Barnsley have now lost three
successive league games by a 2-1 scoreline for the first time in exactly 11
years – it last occurred in October 2015 v Doncaster, Crewe and Southend.
It’s the first time the Reds have had
three successive league games with the same scoreline of any scoreline since a
trio of 2-0 wins against Wigan, Cheltenham and Burton in August/September 2023.
Barnsley have now scored
exactly one goal in five successive games (all comps) for the first time since
a run of seven between the 18th August and 18th September
2012.
They have also conceded exactly
two goals in three successive games for the first time since a run of five
games between 27th September and 21st October 2025 (3
league games, 2 EFL Trophy games)
Barnsley have now conceded 21
league goals this season, only two sides have conceded more in League One
(Bromley 26, Wycombe 23)
Only Bromley -16 and Wimbledon
-11 have a worse goal difference than the Reds -10.
It is the first time Barnsley
have even had a negative goal difference 11 games into a season since the
2021-2022 Championship relegation campaign when it was -7 and the first double
figures minus goal difference at any level at this stage since 2019-2020 when
it was -14
It is the first time in a third
tier season Barnsley have had a negative GD at this stage since 2015-2016 when
it was -1 and the first time it has been double figures at this stage at this
level since 1971-1972 when it was -16.
This game also saw the 20 goals
conceded mark breached, the earliest in a third tier season since the
aforementioned 1971-1972 campaign when they had conceded 26.
Daniel Stendel won 26 of his first
46 league games in charge of Barnsley, losing only seven he has since won only
three of 22, losing 15.
Barnsley have now won only nine of the 37 league games they have
played in 2026 (24%) losing 16.
The Reds have kept only one clean sheet this season (from 16
matches in all competitions) and have kept only two in the last 21 stretching
back to April.
They have staggeringly kept only three clean sheets in their past
44 League One games.
This was
Barnsley’s first league game this season in which they had nobody booked and
their first league game in 14 since Stevenage away in April.
This was
Barnsley’s first defeat in eight meetings with Reading since a 1-0 reverse in
the Championship in October 2021 (W3 D4)
This was the
seventh successive meeting which has occurred in League One and the Reds first
defeat to the Royals at this level since February 1981.
The home side has
scored exactly two goals in five of the last six meetings with the one anomaly
seeing them net three.
Both sides have
scored in each of the last eight meetings and in nine of the last ten.
This was the first
time the away side hasn’t netted at least twice in seven meetings.
This was
Barnsley’s first defeat in four trips to Reading (W2 D1) however they have lost
five of the last eight.
After drawing a
blank at Reading in five successive Championship visits between February 2017
and October 2021 this was the first time in the last four trips they hadn’t
scored at least twice.
The last five
visits have now seen them score none, one, two, three and four goals.
There were only 23
shots in the game, the lowest amount in eight games (all comps) – that game at
Plymouth when there were 22 is also the last time there wasn’t at least 32.
Barnsley:
1. Cieran Slicker
2. Arley Kay
4. Sam Gale
5. Jack Shepherd
3. Ziyad Larkeche
45. Vimal Yoganathan
8. Cameron McGeehan
22. Patrick Kelly
48. Luca Connell
19. Reyes Cleary
7. Tobi Adeyemo
Substitutes:
11. Tyrese Noslin (for
Yoganathan 73)
9. Makenzie Kirk (for
Adeyemo 73)
17. Amani Richards
(for Kay 82)
32. Rylan Brownlie
(for McGeehan 83)
30. Jonathan Bland
(for Larkeche 88)
Unused Substitutes:
25. Rogan Ravenhill, 12. Jubril Okedina.
Reading
Team:
1. Joel Pereira
2. Udoka Godwin-Malife
15. Paudie O’Connor
3. Jeriel Dorsett
5. Haydon Roberts
19. Kyreece Lisbie
10. Lewis Wing
28. Josh Stokes
4. Andy Rinomhota
32. Paddy Lane
18. Jacob Brown
Substitutions:
14. Randell Williams (for Lane 34)
8. Charlie Savage (for Stokes 77)
9. Jamie Reid (for Brown 77)
11. Daniel Kyerewaa (for Lisbie 90+4)
Unused
Substitutes:
25.
Jack Stevens, 20. Josh Knight, 6. Liam Fraser.
Sky Bet League One Results
Saturday 24th October
Huddersfield Town (1st) 2-1
Wigan Athletic (24th)
Bronkhorst
34
Sanches
Fernandes 80
Saydee 90+2
Luton Town (10th) 2-1
Leicester City (13th)
Wells
39
Cullen 90
Marshall
90+4
AFC Wimbledon (16th) 1-1
Wycombe Wanderers (14th)
Stockley
29
Onyedinma 60
Blackpool (20th) 1-4 Mansfield
Town (9th)
Smith 17
Charles
42
Oates 55
Niskanen og 64
Roberts 78
Bromley (22nd) 1-1
Peterborough United (21st)
Cheek
10
Masara 90+3
Burton Albion (11th) 2-1
Leyton Orient (15th)
Gilbert 33
Chauke
56
Collar
86
Cambridge United (6th) 2-3
Plymouth Argyle (4th)
Appere og 41
Amaechi 50
Kaikai
57
Pepple pen 74
Lavery
86
Doncaster Rovers (17th) 2-0
Sheffield Wednesday (8th)
Bailey
6
Bailey
16
Notts County (19th) 1-1
Stockport County (2nd)
Robertson
11
Sidibeh 81
Oxford United (7th) 0-0 Bradford
City (3rd)
Reading (5th) 2-1 BARNSLEY
(23rd)
Yoganathan 7
Lisbie
54
Lisbie
68
Stevenage (12th) 0-1 MK
Dons (18th)
Nombe 81
Barnsley lie in 23rd place
in Sky Bet League One with 8 points from 11 games. We are 12 points off the Play-Offs,
15 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 17 points off First Place and 3
points inside the Relegation Zone.
Up to 26/10/26
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Twelve: Barnsley v Oxford United, Saturday 31st October 2026. Kick-Off 3pm
On The Road:
Sky
Bet League One Matchday Thirteen: Wigan Athletic v Barnsley, Saturday 14th
November 2026. Kick-Off 3pm
