Barnsley’s home struggles continued as they failed to score at Oakwell for the second successive game and have now won only one of their last four matches home or away to virtually end any hopes of automatic promotion.
Prior to this sticky patch the Reds had entered March winning four out of five and were three points off second placed Derby with two games in hand, as they leave the month they still have two games in hand on Derby in the final automatic promotion place but are now 10 points behind the Rams.
Barnsley have failed to win any of their past four home matches since defeating Derby 2-1 (D2 L2) their worst Oakwell run since failing to win any of their final four home Championship games in 2021-2022 (D1 L3), it is their worst home run at this level since a run of six between 10th October 2015 and 19th December 2015, of which they lost five.
Barnsley have gone successive home games without scoring for the first time since the final two home games of the regular 2022-2023 campaign against Ipswich and Peterborough.
Prior to this they had scored in 13 successive home games.
This is despite have a combined total of 35 shots in those two games – only seven of which have been on target however.
Overall it is the first time they have gone successive league games without a goal since January 2023 against Bolton and Charlton.
Prior to this they had scored in 24 successive games in all competitions – their best run for 97 years.
The opening goal was a calamitous own goal from Mael de Gevigney, the third Reds player to put into his own net this season following Jordan Williams against Oxford in August and Nicky Cadden at Shrewsbury in February.
It is the most Barnsley own goals in a season since 2016-2017 (also 3)
It arrived after 13 minutes and was the 13th goal Barnsley have conceded in the opening 15 minutes of a League One game this season (26% of their total so far)
It is also the 11th time they have conceded the opening goal at Oakwell in the league this season.
This was Barnsley’s seventh home league defeat of the season – one more than in the whole of last season – only once in the last six years have they lost more, 11 in 2021-2022.
It is their most home defeats in a League One season since 2015-2016 (8)
Cambridge’s second goal was the 50th league goal conceded by Barnsley this season – the most of any side currently in the top six and only Oxford (53) have conceded more amongst the current top ten.
It is the first time Barnsley have conceded as many as 50 third tier goals before April since 2014-2015.
Barnsley have failed to win any of their last four Good Friday matches (D2 L2), last triumphing in 2019 – their only win in their last eight Good Friday matches.
Josh Earl picked up his fifth yellow card in a Barnsley shirt – from only 11 appearances.
This defeat brought to an end a run of five successive victories for Barnsley against Cambridge, the last four of which had been accompanied by clean sheets.
Indeed it was only Barnsley’s second defeat against Cambridge in the last 10 meetings – seven of which Barnsley have won.
Cambridge won at Oakwell for only the second time ever – the other occasion being a 3-2 win in April 1983.
In the 12 times they have visited this was only the fifth time they have avoided defeat.
Barnsley had 72% ball possession, the most by any team in any Barnsley match in any competition for almost two years since Swansea had 74% in April 2022 and the most Barnsley have enjoyed in a game since a League Cup tie against Carlisle in August 2019 (also 72%)
Barnsley failed to win a corner at Oakwell for the second time this season – also against Burton.
Barnsley Team:
1. Liam Roberts
6. Mael de Gevigney
43. Josh Earl
26. Jamie McCart
30. Adam Phillips
7. Nicky Cadden
2. Jordan Williams
48. Luca Connell
8. Herbie Kane
45. John McAtee
44. Devante Cole
Substitutes:
22. Corey O’Keeffe (for McCart 57)
9. Sam Cosgrove (for McAtee 67)
36. Max Watters (for Phillips 81)
17. Barry Cottter (for Cadden 82)
Unused Substitutes:
23. Ben Killip, 3. Jon Russell, 11. Conor Grant.
Cambridge Team:
25. Will Mannion
6. Ryan Bennett
28. Mamadou Jobe
3. Danny Andrew
24. Jordan Cousins
4. Paul Digby
2. Liam Bennett
26. James Gibbons
14. Sullay Kaikai
7. James Brophy
18. Lyle Taylor
Substitutions:
23. Gassan Ahadme (for Taylor 54)
16. Zeno Rossi (for Gibbons 81)
21. Elias Kachunga (for 81)
Unused Substitutes:
31. Louis Chadwick, 10. Jack Lankester, 19. Adam May, 9. Fejiri Okenabirhie.
SkyBet League One Results:
FRIDAY 29TH MARCH 2024:
BARNSLEY (5th) 0-2 Cambridge United (19th)
De Gevigney og 13
Ahadme 72
Derby County (2nd) 1-0 Blackpool (9th)
Adams 40
Exeter City (15th) 1-1 Charlton Athletic (16th)
Purrington 6
Diabate og 87
Fleetwood Town (23rd) 1-2 Cheltenham Town
Sercombe 30
Graydon 79
Keena 82
Lincoln City (6th) 1-0 Leyton Orient (10th)
Makama 90
Peterborough United (4th) 1-3 Carlisle United (24th)
Mellish 27
Mellish 49
Mellish 58
Randall 61
Port Vale (21st) 2-0 Bristol Rovers (14th)
Garrity 42
Dipepa 52
Reading (17th) 1-0 Northampton Town (11th)
Ehibhatiomhan 65
Shrewsbury Town (18th) 1-1 Oxford United (7th)
Bodin 53
Price 82
Stevenage (8th) 0-0 Bolton Wanderers (3rd)
Wigan Athletic (12th) 1-1 Burton Albion (20th)
Hughes og 43
Brayford 54
Wycombe Wanderers (13th) 1-3 Portsmouth (1st)
Bishop 3
Butcher 7
Bishop 28
Saydee 67
Barnsley lie in 5th place in Sky Bet League One with 71 points from 39 games. We are 7 points inside the Play-Offs, 10 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 15 points off First Place and 32 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 30/3/24
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty: Burton Albion v Barnsley, Monday 1st April 2024. Kick Off: 3pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty Three: Barnsley v Reading, Saturday 13th April 2024. Kick Off: 3pm