Barnsley have now lost four of their last five home league games (excluding play-offs) following a second successive 3-1 reverse (the one win in that run was 7-0!)
The Reds were behind against the Us after just eight minutes, the earliest they have conceded since Jonson Clarke-Harris scored for Peterborough after just six minutes in the final home league game of 2022-2023.
It is the first time they have conceded from a penalty in the opening ten minutes of a game for five years – Josh Morris netted one for Scunthorpe after nine minutes on the 25th August 2018.
Oxford went 2-0 up in the second half when Jordan Williams put through his own net – the first own goal scored by a Barnsley player since August last year when Conor McCarthy netted at Derby.
This game saw Devante Cole’s 15 match winning run (all comps) when scoring come to an end. This was the first time the Reds have lost when Cole has scored since the 24th October 2021 against Sheffield United – he has scored 20 times since prior to the Oxford game.
Barnsley have conceded as many as three goals in successive home games for the first time since August last year when they suffered 3-0 defeats to Wycombe in the league and Lincoln in the EFL Trophy. It is the first time in successive home league games since September 2014 when they lost 5-3 to MK Dons and 3-0 to Swindon in League One.
Mael de Gevigney who gave away the early penalty and was booked was substituted after just 37 minutes, the second time in three home league games this season that Barnsley have made a first half defensive change (also Corey O’Keefe after 33 minutes against Port Vale)
Callum Styles was booked after just five minutes, Barnsley’s earliest league yellow card since the 10th March 2018 when Gary Gardner was also booked after five minutes, at Middlesbrough.
Despite losing two of their first four games (and mainly because they scored seven on the opening day) Barnsley are the first League One side to reach double figures for goals scored with Cole’s effort against Oxford their 10th in the league so far. Only one team in the EFL has scored more so far – Wrexham with 13 (MK Dons and Crewe have also scored 10)
This is the first time Barnsley have scored in their opening five games of a season in all competitions since 2016-2017 when they netted in their opening nine.
This was Barnsley’s first defeat against Oxford in six meetings since January 1999, the Reds had won four and drawn one of the five in the following 24 years.
It is the first time in eight meetings that Oxford had scored as many as three times against Barnsley in a match, since a 5-1 victory in May 1997 which came eight days after the Reds had famously defeated Bradford to win promotion to the Premier League.
Indeed this was only Barnsley’s fifth defeat in 21 meetings dating back to 1988 (W12 D4)
This was Oxford’s second ever victory at Oakwell, the other being a 1-0 win in April 1993 – Barnsley have won 10 of the 14 meetings at Oakwell.
The U’s had failed to even score in each of the previous five visits and indeed this was only the third time they had ever netted at Oakwell – scoring more than they had in all their previous visits combined (2)
Barnsley Team:
1. Liam Roberts
6. Mael de Gevigney
4 Kacper Lopata
5. Liam Kitching
2. Jordan Williams
8. Herbie Kane
20. Callum Styles
7. Nicky Cadden
30. Adam Phillips
15. Andy Dallas
44. Devante Cole
Substitutes:
17. Barry Cotter (for de Gevigney 37)
3. Jon Russell (for Phillips 65)
36. Max Watters (for Dallas 65)
19. Aiden Marsh (for Styles 66)
Unused Substitutes:
23. Ben Killip, 41. Jack Shepherd, 32. Harrison Nejman.
Oxford Team:
1. James Beadle
2. Sam Long
5. Elliott Moore
28. Stephan Negru
3. Ciaron Brown
18. Marcus McGuane
8. Cameron Brannagan
11. Marcus Browne
10. Billy Bodin
7. Stanley Mills
9. Mark Harris
Substitutions:
20. Ruben Rodrigues (for Browne 27)
19. Tyler Goodrham (for Mills 61)
15. Finley Stevens (for Bodin 71)
39. Gatlin O’Donkor (for Harris 71)
Unused Substitutes:
13. Simon Eastwood, 14. Oisin Smyth, 6. Josh McEachran.
Match Reports:
Sky Bet League One Results:
SATURDAY 19TH AUGUST 2023:
Bolton Wanderers (2nd) 0-4 Wigan Athletic (19th)
Wyke 12
Humphrys 24
Humphrys 45+4
Wyke 75
BARNSLEY (15th) 1-3 Oxford United (4th)
Brannagan pen 8
Williams og 54
Cole 70
Goodrham 88
Blackpool (11th) 0-0 Leyton Orient (23rd)
Cambridge United (1st) 2-0 Bristol Rovers (14th)
Okenabirhie 79
Kaikai 90+6
Carlisle United (20th) 0-2 Exeter City (7th)
Trevitt 68
Mitchell 81
Charlton Athletic (18th) 2-3 Port Vale (9th)
May pen 10
Wilson 55
Chislett 56
Kanu 71
Ojo 87
Derby County (10th) 1-0 Fleetwood Town (21st)
Waghorn 23
Northampton Town (16th) 1-0 Peterborough United (3rd)
Pinnock 90
Portsmouth (6th) 0-0 Cheltenham Town (22nd)
Reading (13th) 2-0 Stevenage (5th)
Ehibhatiomhan 45+4
Ehibhatiomhan 57
Shrewsbury Town (12th) 0-1 Lincoln City (8th)
Hamilton 79
Wycombe Wanderers (17th) 0-0 Burton Albion (24th)
Barnsley lie in 15th place in Sky Bet League One with 4 points from 4 games. We are 4 points off the Play-Offs, 5 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 5 points off First Place and 3 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 20/8/23
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Five: Wigan Athletic v Barnsley, Saturday 26th August 2023. Kick Off: 3pm
At Oakwell:
Football League Trophy: Barnsley v Grimsby Town, Tuesday 5th September 2023. Kick Off: 7:30pm