Barnsley bounced back from the ending of their 12 match unbeaten run last Tuesday in emphatic style – registering their biggest win in seven years.
This 5-0 victory is Barnsley’s biggest league victory since they hammered Rochdale 6-1 on the 23rd January 2016.
It is the first time they have scored five times in any league match since the 14th December 2019 when they defeated QPR 5-3.
It means Barnsley have won 11 of their last 14 league matches and 17 of their last 24 to sit just five points off the top of the league.
Barnsley have now scored at least three goals in seven of their last 10 league matches.
Barnsley have won seven successive home league games for the first time since another run of seven between September and December 1984.
They have won each of the last seven by scoring at least two goals for the first time since 1929, netting three on four occasions, four twice and five once.
It is the first time they have scored 3+ goals in five successive home league games since the final home game of 1934-1935 and the first four of 1935-1936 when they drew 3-3 with Brentford, defeated Port Vale 4-2, Newcastle 3-2, Burnley 3-1 and Hull 5-1.
This was their 14th league home victory of the season, only Plymouth (17) have won more and it is only one less than they amassed in their last League One promotion winning season of 2018-2019.
They have now scored at least four times on five occasions in 2022-2023 (all comps) the most in a season since 2018-2019 (8)
This was Barnsley's 23rd league victory of the season (from 38 games), only in eight of their previous 123 years as a league side have they won more. (1933-1934, 27, 1938-1939, 30, 1953-1954, 24, 1954-1955, 30, 1967-1968, 24, 1978-1979, 24, 1999-2000, 24, 2018-2019, 26)
Barnsley’s opening goal of a game has been scored by Devante Cole on eight occasions in the league this season and he went on to bag his third brace.
Cole now has 14 goals in all competitions in 2022-2023 – his best ever tally in a single season, beating the 12 he netted in 2017-2018 for Fleetwood and 2020-2021 for Motherwell.
The Reds have won all 11 games in which Cole has scored in (all comps) in 2022-2023.
Cole has now scored 23 goals for Barnsley since making his initial debut in August 2014, 20 of which have come at Oakwell.
Barnsley scored three first half goals for the fourth time this season.
Barnsley collected their 15th League One clean sheet of the season, their most in a season since 2018-2019 (21)
They have the second best defensive record this season (34 conceded) Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich and Bolton have all conceded 31.
By scoring five the Reds moved onto 66 league goals for the season, only Ipswich (74) and Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth (both 67) have scored more.
The victory was sealed after 93minutes, the sixth league goal the Reds have scored in the 90th minute or later this season and the fourth in the last seven outings.
It is the most 90+minute league goals scored in a season since scoring seven in 2019-2020 (two of which were famously in the final two matches to retain their Championship status)
Barnsley have now won each of their last 12 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 20 of the last 21 occasions. They are unbeaten in their last 25 league matches in which they have opened the scoring (W23 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 11 of their 38 league games so far this season and have failed to win any (D2 L9)
With nine games to go Barnsley have 75 points, the exact same as at this stage of their automatic promotion winning League One campaign of 2018-2019 – they were two points clear in 2nd place at this stage four years ago.
Barnsley scored in the opening five minutes of a league game for the fourth time this season, 50% of them have been by Cole.
Barnsley’s second goal came courtesy of an own goal, the first time they have benefited from one in the league this season and first time since October 2020 against QPR.
Barnsley have scored at least four goals in successive home games for the first time since December 2001 when they defeated both Walsall and Gillingham 4-1.
Cole’s second goal was assisted by Jordan Williams, his seventh assist of the season, making him the outright leader again ahead of Adam Phillips and Luca Connell.
James Norwood was an unused substitute for the first time in his Barnsley career, he had previously appeared in all 38 games (all comps) in which he had been included in the matchday squad.
Barnsley have now gone 48 league matches without being awarded a penalty. It last occurred on the 12th March 2022 when Carlton Morris scored from 12 yards v Fulham.
This was only the fourth meeting between Barnsley and Morecambe and both have now won two each. Barnsley have scored at least four goals in both of their wins with the other being 4-3 in a League Cup tie in August 2017.
Three of the four meetings have been at Oakwell and Morecambe have scored only in the one they won – 2-0 in a League Cup tie in August 2011.
Barnsley both won a game and had more than 50% ball possession for the first time since the 4-0 victory at Cheltenham on the 18th February (8 games ago)
There has been a total of 26 shots in each of Barnsley’s last two matches and 12 shots on target in each of Barnsley’s last two home games.
Barnsley Team:
1. Harry Isted
12. Bobby Thomas
6. Mads Andersen (c)
5. Liam Kitching
2. Jordan Williams
16. Luke Thomas
48. Luca Connell
8. Herbie Kane
7. Nicky Cadden
44. Devante Cole
47. Max Watters
Substitutes:
3. Jon Russell (for Connell 56)
10. Josh Benson (for Kane 56)
30. Adam Phillips (for Thomas 56)
31. Slobodan Tedic (for Watters 64)
26. Ziyad Larkeche (for Cadden 69)
Unused Substitutes:
9. James Norwood, 40. Brad Collins.
Morecambe Team:
1. Connor Ripley
29. Dynel Simeu
5. Farrend Rawson
16. Jacob Bedeau
2. Donald Love (c)
15. Jensen Weir
4. Liam Gibson
23. Pape Souaré
8. Dan Crowley
9. Cole Stockton
18. Oumar Niasse
Substitutions:
25. Adam Major (for Crowley 75)
10. Ash Hunter (for Stockton 76)
22. Josh Austerfield (for Rawson 76)
Unused Substitutes:
6. Ryan Delaney, 12. Adam Smith, 17. Caleb Watts.
Match Reports:
Official Website
BBC
Sky Sports
Sky Bet League One Results:
SATURDAY 1ST APRIL 2023:
BARNSLEY (4TH) 5-0 Morecambe (22nd)
Cole 4
Simeu og 21
Kane 32
Cole 53
Thomas 90+3
Charlton Athletic (12th) 6-0 Shrewsbury Town (10th)
Fraser 27
Morgan 38
Rak-Sakyi 45+2
Leaburn 61
Leaburn pen 70
Bonne 90+2
Cheltenham Town (16th) 0-0 Burton Albion (18th)
Derby County (7th) 0-2 Ipswich Town (3rd)
Chaplin 17
Hirst 76
Fleetwood Town (13th) 2-2 Exeter City (11th)
Marriott 18
McDonald 28
Marriott 35
Sweeney 90+1
Peterborough United (6th) 0-0 Oxford United (20th)
Port Vale (17th) 0-2 Cambridge United (23rd)
Smith 48
Jones 52
Portsmouth (9th) 1-0 Forest Green Rovers (24th)
Dale 51
Sheffield Wednesday (1st) 1-1 Lincoln City (14th)
Smith 12
Mandroiu 28
Wycombe Wanderers (8th) 2-2 Milton Keynes Dons (19th)
Harvie 9
Wheeler 22
Wheeler 55
Leko 71
Barnsley lie in 4th place in Sky Bet League One with 75 points from 38 games. We are 11 points inside the Play-Offs, 5 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 5 points off First Place and 40 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 2/4/23
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Nine: Burton Albion v Barnsley, Friday 7th April 2023 Kick Off: 3pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty: Barnsley v Shrewsbury Town, Monday 10th April 2023. Kick Off: 3pm