The Barnsley juggernaut continues to motor on as the biggest South Yorkshire derby victory over Sheffield Wednesday for 22 years saw the Reds win four league games in a row for the third time this season with this victory an eighth win in nine and a tenth win in a 12 game unbeaten run, beating a play-off/promotion rival for the fourth successive game and fifth in the last six outings.
In doing so they increased the gap between themselves and seventh place to 12 points (with a game in hand) whilst they have further cemented fourth spot – now eight points above fifth placed Derby, again with a game in hand.
This is Barnsley's longest unbeaten league run (W10 D2) since a run of 12 Championship matches (W9 D3) between January and March 2021.
They have won six successive home league games for the first time since another run of six between December 2018 and February 2019 also in League One.
They have won each of the last four home league matches by scoring at least three times and indeed have scored four on two occasions.
It is the first time they have scored 3+ goals in four successive home league games since November - December 1996 when they defeated Norwich 3-1, Portsmouth 3-2, Southend 3-0 and Tranmere 3-0.
They have won six successive home league matches by scoring at least twice for the first since 1955 when they also won six in a row in this way but they have bettered the goal tally in 2023 by one (19-18)
This was their 13th league home victory of the season, only the new league leaders Plymouth (17) have won more.
They have now scored four times on four occasions in 2022-2023 (all comps) the most in a season since 2018-2019 (8)
This was Barnsley's 22nd league victory of the season (from 36 games), only in 10 of their previous 123 years as a league side have they won more.
Barnsley have now lost only two of their last 22 league games (W16 D3 L2)
Devante Cole and James Norwood had Barnsley 2-0 up in this match – just like they did in the reverse fixture at Hillsborough, they are the first Barnsley players to score home and away against the Owls in the same season since Jamal Campbell-Ryce in 2008-2009.
Barnsley’s opening goal of a game has been scored by either Norwood or Cole on 12 occasions in the league this season whilst they both scored in the same game for the fifth time.
The Reds have won eight of the nine games Norwood has scored in, the one exception a 1-1 draw at Accrington.
Cole has now scored 21 goals for Barnsley since making his initial debut in August 2014, 18 of which have come at Oakwell.
Barnsley were at least 2-0 up inside the opening 15 minutes for the fourth time in League One this season.
There were as many as six goals in a Reds/Owls fixture for the first time since February 1952 when there was nine (a 5-4 Barnsley win)
It’s the first time both teams have scored at least twice in this fixture in 15 meetings since a 2-2 draw at Hillsborough on the opening day of 2009-2010 season.
It’s the first time Barnsley have scored four in this fixture since the aforementioned 5-4 (50 meetings ago all comps) and the first time either team has since a 5-0 Wednesday win in April 1959.
Three different Barnsley strikers scored in a match for the first time since February 2019 when Kieffer Moore, Cauley Woodrow and Jacob Brown all scored at Gillingham.
This was the first time in 12 outings that Barnsley conceded more than once in a game and was actually a match between the two best defences in League One this season – due to the Reds conceding twice they now have only the joint second best defensive record along with Ipswich (conceded 31)
It is the first time Sheffield Wednesday have conceded four times in a match since the 30th December 2021 when they lost 5-0 at Sunderland.
Cole both scored and assisted in this match, the ninth time this season (all comps) that a Barnsley player has both scored and assisted in the same game.
The victory was sealed after 96minutes, the fifth league goal the Reds have scored in the 90th minute or later this season and the third in the last six outings.
It is the most 90+minute league goals scored in a season since also netting five in 2020-2021.
Liam Kitching’s effort was Barnsley’s latest in a game this season and latest since Callum Styles netted a 97th minute consolation at Huddersfield on the 22nd April 2022.
This victory saw Barnsley break the 70 points mark for the third time in the last six seasons and they have beaten this mark in each of their last three League One campaigns.
Max Watters scored the eighth league goal scored by a Barnsley substitute this season - Josh Martin, James Norwoodx2, Adam Phillips, Luke Thomas, Jack Aitchison and Slobodan Tedic have also netted from the bench.
A substitute has scored in successive games for the first time since February 2021 when it occurred in three successive games as Carlton Morris scored against Blackburn and Bristol City and then Daryl Dike netted against Stoke.
Going into this match Sheffield Wednesday had the longest current unbeaten run in the EFL at 23 matches, by ending this Barnsley extended their own to 12 matches and only Burnley (17) are now on a longer unbeaten run.
This was Sheffield Wednesday’s fourth league defeat of the season and two have been against Barnsley with the Reds currently the only side to complete a league double over the Owls in 2022-2023.
Lee Gregory scored both Wednesday’s goals bringing them level from 2-0 down, it is the second meeting in a row at Oakwell that a Wednesday player has netted a brace, Jordan Rhodes also doing so in 2021.
This was the first time Barnsley have let a 2-0 lead slip since August 2021 at QPR – a game which finished 2-2. It is the first time at Oakwell since January 2021 against Cardiff – another game which finished 2-2.
Barnsley have now won each of their last 11 league games in which they have opened the scoring, last failing to do so on Boxing Day at Accrington Stanley (1-1) and have won 19 of the last 20 occasions. They are unbeaten in their last 24 league matches in which they have opened the scoring (W22 D2) last losing from a 1-0 lead in the final home game of 2021-2022 against Preston (1-3)
They have only conceded the opening goal in 10 of their 36 league games so far this season and have failed to win any (D2 L8)
With ten games to go Barnsley have 72 points, 1 less than they had at this stage of their automatic promotion winning League One campaign of 2018-2019.
There were 18,377 in attendance for this South Yorkshire derby, the biggest crowd at Oakwell for seven years, since Newcastle came to town on the 18th October 2016 (18,597)
Barnsley had five players booked, their most yellow cards in a game in 12 outings since Charlton away in January.
Barnsley managed only one corner for the second successive match, their joint lowest this season which has now occurred on seven occasions including both meetings with Wednesday.
Barnsley have now won three of the last four meetings with the Owls (L1), prior to this they had failed to win in 12 (D6 L6)
This was though the Reds first victory against them at Oakwell in eight such clashes (W1 D4 L3) and was only their fourth Oakwell victory this century (W4 D7 L4)
There were 30 shots in this game, the most in 12 matches (Charlton away, 31)
Twelve of those were on target, only v Wycombe at Oakwell in August (13) has there been more in a Barnsley league game this season.
Barnsley Team:
1. Harry Isted
12. Bobby Thomas
6. Mads Andersen (c)
5. Liam Kitching
2. Jordan Williams
30. Adam Phillips
48. Luca Connell
8. Herbie Kane
7. Nicky Cadden
44. Devante Cole
9. James Norwood
Substitutes:
31. Slobodan Tedic (for Norwood 61)
16. Luke Thomas (for Phillips 62)
10. Josh Benson (for Kane 80)
47. Max Watters (for Cole 80)
24. Robbie Cundy (for Cadden 87)
Unused Substitutes:
26. Ziyad Larkeche, 40. Brad Collins.
Sheffield Wednesday Team:
25. Cameron Dawson
6. Dominic Iorfa
44. Aden Flint
15. Akin Famewo
2. Liam Palmer
8. Dennis Adeniran
4. Will Vaulks
10. Barry Bannan (c)
18. Marvin Johnson
9. Lee Gregory
24. Michael Smith
Substitutions:
17. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (for Adeniran 66)
Unused Substitutes:
3. Jaden Brown, 19. Tyreeq Bakinson, 22. Rio Shipston, 31. David Stockdale, 32. Jack Hunt, 33. Reece James.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore said:
“First and foremost I went around every player in that dressing room and congratulated them all on the unbeaten run because that takes incredible mentality.
“The run is over now, we accept that and we have to dust ourselves down and get ready for Sunday. We take the rough with the smooth, this is the business we are in.
“In terms of the game tonight, it was decided on chances. I don’t want to take anything away from Barnsley and credit to Michael Duff and his team.
Match Reports:
Sky Bet League One Results:
TUESDAY 21ST MARCH 2023
Accrington Stanley (21st) 0-2 Plymouth Argyle (1st)
Butcher 14
Grant 78
BARNSLEY (4th) 4–2 Sheffield Wednesday 2nd)
Cole 10
Norwood 12
Gregory 33
Gregory 74
Watters 83
Kitching 90+6
Barnsley lie in 4th place in Sky Bet League One with 72 points from 36 games. We are 12 points inside the Play-Offs, 6 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 8 points off First Place and 37 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 23/3/23
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Seven: Exeter City v Barnsley, Tuesday 28th March 2023 Kick Off: 7:45pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Eight: Morecambe v Sheffield Wednesday, Saturday 1st April 2023. Kick Off: 3pm