Barnsley have now opened the scoring in five successive games at Oakwell in all competitions – their best run since the final home game of 2015-2016 (v Walsall in the playoffs) and the first four of 2016-2017.
For the second season in a row, Barnsley won their third league game to end the opponents 100% start to the season. Last year QPR came to Oakwell having won 3-0 and 2-0 in their opening two matches but lost 3-2 to The Reds. Nottingham Forest had won 1-0 and 4-3 before last night.
It also means The Reds have won their third league game of the season for the third year running- they have not lost their third game since 2012 (ironically the last time they did not lose their first)
Barnsley managed to avoid equalling a club record- should they have failed to defeat Nottingham Forest it would have been 11 home league games without victory- a mark set in 1953 and equalled in 2012. This victory was their first in the league at Oakwell since January and only their fourth in 22.
Home or away this was Barnsley’s first win in eight in the league and third in 21 outings.
Barnsley have though still not scored more than one first half goal in the league at Oakwell in any of their 12 Championship matches in 2017 but this was only the second time this calendar year they have scored more than once at all at home – also their last home win, v Leeds. Indeed Barnsley are unbeaten in their last five home matches in which they have netted more than once (W4) with the last time to defeat them after conceding more than once being last night’s opponents Forest.
This was only Barnsley’s second Tuesday night league win in nine and their first at Oakwell since April 2016 when a last minute George Williams effort earned a 1-0 win over Peterborough. It is their first Championship Tuesday night victory since March 2013 against Brighton.
However they have won all three of their Tuesday night home games against Forest by a 2-1 scoreline (1928, 2010, 2017)
Matty Pearson scored his first Barnsley goal whist Ryan Hedges now has three goals in four appearances in all competitions this season.
Jared Bird came on as a substitute to make his first ever senior Barnsley appearance.
Barnsley have failed to keep a clean sheet yet in 2017-2018- the last time they conceded in each of their first four games in all competitions was 2014-2015 (six)
They have gone eight league games since their last shut-out, their longest run under Paul Heckingbottom- prior to this they went 15 games without a clean sheet between 3rd October 2015 and 2nd January 2016 under Lee Johnson.
Nottingham Forest had seven shots on target to Barnsley’s five- the first time the opponents have had more shots on target at Oakwell than The Reds since Huddersfield in February.
Barnsley Team: