Barnsley brought their poor end of 2023-2024 form into 2024-2025 as they lost their first home league game of a season for the first time since 2020-2021.
The Reds had won each of their three previous home league games of a season, all without conceding a goal.
In all competitions this defeat ended a run of seven successive victories in opening home games of a season, the previous six of which had all come accompanied with clean sheets.
Barnsley conceded twice in their opening home league game of a season for the first time since 2017-2018 when they lost 2-1 to Ipswich and the first time at this level since 1980-1981 when they lost the opener 2-1 to Portsmouth however went on to win promotion.
The Reds have now gone eight home games without a win D4 L4 including play-offs as part of a run of just two wins in their last 12 home or away.
It is Barnsley’s longest winless Oakwell run since a run of nine between August and November 2019 (D4 L5).
This was the first time Barnsley have gone 2-0 down in their opening game of a season since 2017-2018 when they were 3-0 down at Bristol City after 30 minutes in an eventual 3-1 defeat.
It is the first time they have gone 2-0 down in their first home game of a season since 2013-2014 when they lost 4-0 to Wigan.
Mansfield’s second goal was scored by new signing Lee Gregory, his sixth goal against Barnsley, five of which have come at Oakwell.
One of Barnsley’s new signings Georgie Gent was hooked after just 26 minutes, the Reds earliest change since 9th December 2023 when Nicky Cadden was subbed after 21 minutes at Reading.
It is the earliest Oakwell change since 30th April 2022 when Romal Palmer was replaced after 25 minutes against Preston.
Barnsley have made a first half change though in their first home game of four successive seasons now.
Gent’s full debut is the third shortest in Barnsley history with only Graham Pugh in 1976 and Carl Regan in 2000 leaving the pitch earlier on their first starts for the club.
Barnsley have failed to win any of their last five matches played on a Friday, losing the last three. Their last Friday success was in the second leg of the play-offs semi finals against Bolton in May 2023.
Max Watters made his first start for the club since January, which was also another 2-1 home defeat (against Exeter), he set up Connell’s goal to give him his first direct goal involvement since scoring against Reading in December 2023.
Connell’s goal equals his entire tally from 2023-2024.
There were 14,817 in attendance for the game, Barnsley’s highest first home game of a season crowd since 2021-2022 in the Championship (16,961 v Coventry) and their highest at this level since the opening home game of 1979-1980 when they faced local rivals Sheffield Wednesday and drew in 22,360.
Only Josh Earl was booked, the lowest number of Barnsley yellow cards on the opening day of a season (home or away) since 2021-2022 when no Barnsley player was booked at Cardiff.
This was the first meeting between Barnsley and Mansfield for 21 years and only Barnsley’s second defeat in seven meetings dating back to 1979 however two have come in the last three clashes.
Mansfield have won on each of their last two visits to Oakwell, in 2002 and 2024, they have won only four times here in total.
There has been a total of 29 fouls in each of Barnsley’s last two home games and in three of their last five overall.
Barnsley Team:
23. Ben Killip
6. Mael de Gevigney
4. Marc Roberts
32. Josh Earl
7. Corey O’Keeffe
18. Matthew Craig
8. Adam Phillips
48. Luca Connell
17. Georgie Gent
36. Max Watters
9. Sam Cosgrove
Substitutes:
3. Jon Russell (for Gent 26)
2. Barry Cotter (for O’Keeffe 62)
14. Conor Hourihane (for Craig 62)
19. Aiden Marsh (for Watters 62)
15. Kyran Lofthouse (for Connell 77)
Unused Substitutes:
12. Jackson Smith, 35. Kacper Lopata.
Mansfield Team:
1. Christy Pym
9. Jordan Bowery
14. Aden Flint
23. Adedeji Oshilaja
22. Frazer Blake-Tracy
25. Louis Reed
17. Keanu Baccus
40. Davis Keillor-Dunn
19. Lee Gregory
16. Stephen Quinn
Substitutions:
44. Hiram Boateng (for Quinn 59)
11. Will Evans (for Gregory 59)
8. Aaron Lewis (for Baccus 83)
20. Tom Nichols for Keillor-Dunn 90)
Unused Substitutes:
13. Scott Flinders, 26. Will Swan, 15. Ben Quinn.
SkyBet League One Results:
FRIDAY 9TH AUGUST 2024:
BARNSLEY (16th) 1–2 Mansfield Town (7th)
Quinn 13
Gregory 18
Connell 32
SATURDAY 10TH AUGUST 2024:
Burton Albion (15th) 2-3 Lincoln City (3rd)
Godwin-Malife 5
O’Connor 9
Darikwa 22
Bodin 41
O’Connor 86
Birmingham City (13th) 1-1 Reading (12th)
Ehibhatiomhan 42
May pen 87
Bristol Rovers (9th) 1-0 Northampton Town (19th)
Bilongo 90+2
Crawley Town (7th) 2-1 Blackpool (16th)
Hepburn-Murphy 16
Junior Quitirna 33
Fletcher 74
Wrexham (4th) 3-2 Wycombe Wanderers (14th)
Cleworth 9
Marriott 29
Kone 58
Fletcher 83
Vokes 89
Stevenage (11th) 1-0 Shrewsbury Town 21st)
List 58
Stockport County (2nd) 2-0 Cambridge United (23rd)
Barry 5
Wootton 76
Leyton Orient (18th) 1-2 Bolton Wanderers (5th)
Charles 8
Kelman 38
Adeboyejo 75
Peterborough United (24th) 0-2 Huddersfield Town (1st)
Evans 36
Wiles 45+1
Exeter City (10th) 1-0 Rotherham United (20th)
Watts 71
Wigan Athletic (22nd) 0-1 Charlton Athletic (8th)
Jones 81
Barnsley lie in 16th place in Sky Bet League One with 0 points from 1 game. We are 3 points off the Play-Offs, 3 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 3 points off First Place and outside the Relegation Zone on Goals Scored.
Up to 12/8/24
Next Up:
On The Road:
League Cup First Round: Wigan Athletic v Barnsley, Tuesday 13th August 2024. Kick Off: 7:45pm
At Oakwell:
Football League Trophy: Barnsley v Manchester United 21s, Tuesday 20th August 2024. Kick Off: 7pm.