Barnsley could have one foot back at Wembley after recording their first ever home leg play-off victory. They had lost at Oakwell in each of their previous two play-off campaigns- 2-1 to Birmingham in 2000 and 1-0 to Huddersfield in 2006 but won both away legs to progress.
If Barnsley are to be denied a second Wembley trip in 2016 then Walsall will have to create history. No team has EVER overturned a three goal first leg deficit in the play-offs.
Sam Winnall has scored in successive games for the fourth time this season and it is the second time he has scored at least twice back to back.
Barnsley have led at half-time in each of their last two matches, prior to this they had held an interval lead just once in the previous seven matches.
In both of those last two matches the half time lead has been achieved by scoring in the final minute of the first half.
The Reds benefited from an own goal for the third time this season.
Barnsley scored as many as three times at home for the first time in 10 Oakwell outings. The 3-0 success over Bury in February was the last occasion. They have done it on six occasions this season.
This was Barnsley’s 17th clean sheet of the league season- their most in a season since the last League One promotion campaign 10 years ago when they kept 19.
Walsall had 15 shots on goal and five shots on target, no other opposition side has managed as many as 15 this season- Burton with 12 was the previous highest in the Reds first home game of the season whilst five on target is the joint most, Blackpool, Sheffield United, Fleetwood, Walsall again and Crewe are the only teams to have five shots on target at Oakwell.
There were 16,051 in attendance, 2,480 higher than their previous best this season- the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United in November. It is the highest Oakwell attendance since the Blades visited in April last year when 17,532 were there.
Barnsley Team:
Adam Davies
Josh Scowen
Marc Roberts
Alfie Mawson
George Williams
Adam Hammill
Josh Brownhill
Conor Hourihane
Lloyd Isgrove
Ashley Fletcher
Sam Winnall
Substitutes:
Ivan Toney (for Winnall 67)
Aidy White (for Fletcher 77)
Harry Chapman (for Isgrove 84)
Unused Substitutes:
Nick Townsend, Jack Cowgill, Jak McCourt, Shaun Tuton.
Match Reports:
Sky Bet League One Play-Off results:
Saturday 14th May 2016:
Barnsley 3-0 Walsall
Demetriou og 45
Winnall 54,55
Sunday 15th May 2016:
Bradford 1-3 Millwall
McMahon 13 pen Gregory 15, Morison 34, Martin 45
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg: Walsall v Barnsley, Thursday 19th May 2016 Kick-Off 7:45pm.
Tickets:
SOLD OUT!
Beam-back:
Adults: £5
Under 12’s: £1