......With 92 minutes on the John Smith Stadium clock, Barnsley’s seven year stay in the Championship was over, but an incredible last minute goal for Crystal Palace hoisted The Reds out of the bottom three and sent Peterborough down instead!
During the course of the day, four teams occupied that final relegation spot- Barnsley, Huddersfield, Peterborough and Millwall.
Barnsley end the season on 55 points, seven more than last season and their joint second best total since returning to the Championship.
The Reds also defied history by surviving. They became only the FIFTH team in a quarter of a century to stay in English football’s second tier after being bottom on New Year’s Day.
David Flitcroft’s record as manager reads: Played: 21 Won: 9 Drawn: 7 Lost: 5. Five of those draws came in the last seven games of the season and The Reds finish 2012-2013 unbeaten in four and with just one defeat in the final eight. Keith Hill’s record this season as manager was Played: 25 Won: 5 Drawn: 6 Lost: 14.
Chris O’Grady hit his third goal in four games, which have helped The Reds to five points.
The Reds are now unbeaten on the final day for five years. 2008 was the last time they were beaten in their last game.
Yesterday was only the second time in 13 games that Huddersfield have conceded more than once in a home match.
Jason Scotland notched The Reds second goal, his first for 11 games. It is the first time two Reds strikers have netted in the same game since the previous time Scotland scored, against Brighton in March.
Overall Barnsley finish the season with 14 wins- remarkably the same total they have gained in four of their seven seasons since promotion. They lost 19 times, five less than last season and their joint second best total since promotion. They netted 56 times, their HIGHEST tally at this level since 2001-2002 but they conceded 70. That is only “beaten” by the 74 they conceded last season and the 85 in 2006-2007.
Amazingly the three teams who were relegated, Peterborough, Wolves and Bristol City would have all SURVIVED last season with the points tallies they have reached in 2012-2013. 41 would have seen you safe in 2011-2012, a massive FIFTEEN points less than the safety mark this year (although you have to factor in that Portsmouth were deducted 10 points last season). Peterborough go down with the highest points total EVER. The previous highest was 52 which Leicester were relegated with in 2008.
Barnsley Team:
Luke Steele
Scott Wiseman
Martin Cranie
Tom Kennedy
Stephen Dawson
Jim O’Brien
David Perkins
Jacob Mellis
Chris O’Grady (YC)
Chris Dagnall
Kelvin Etuhu
Substitutes:
Jason Scotland (for Dagnall 66)
Reuben Noble-Lazarus (YC) (for Mellis 66)
Tomasz Cywka (for Dawson 84)
Unused Substitutes:
Ben Alnwick, Jim McNulty, Marlon Harewood, Danny Rose.
Match Reports:
Npower Championship results Saturday 4th May 2013:
Birmingham 1-1 Blackburn
Bolton 2-2 Blackpool
Brighton 2-0 Wolves
Burnley 2-0 Ipswich
Charlton 4-1 Bristol City
Crystal Palace 3-2 Peterborough
Derby 1-0 Millwall
Huddersfield 2-2 BARNSLEY
Hull 2-2 Cardiff
Nottingham Forest 2-3 Leicester
Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Middlesbrough
Watford 1-2 Leeds
Barnsley finish in 21st place in the Npower Championship with 55 points from 46 games.
We finish 13 points off the Play-Offs 24 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 32 points off First place and 1 point above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 4.5.13
Ups and Downs 2012-2013:
Champions: Cardiff
Promoted: Hull
Play-Offs: Watford, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester.
Relegated: Peterborough, Wolves, Bristol City.