Barnsley’s battle to secure a play-off spot for the second season running will go to the final day following a second successive 3-2 away defeat in a run now of one win in eight which has included five defeats.
The Reds have lost four of their last five league games (D1) as many as they had lost in their previous 24.
This was Barnsley’s 23rd and final regular season away game and the fourth in succession that they have lost – they had lost only one of the previous 19.
It is the first time Barnsley have lost four successive away league games since the final two of 2021-2022 and first two of 2022-2023, it is the first time in the same season since January/February 2022 in the Championship but the first time at this level since October/November 2015.
The current overall run of no wins in five (D1 L4) is the Reds worst run at this level since they infamously lost seven in a row in October/November 2015.
Barnsley have conceded at least two goals in five successive games (a total of 12) for the first time since the final five games of 2021-2022 (13 goals)
Blackpool’s second goal arrived at 45+3, the third goal Barnsley have conceded in first half stoppage time this season (also at Peterborough and Stevenage) with this the latest timed one.
Barnsley’s second goal arrived at 90+4, the first time there has been a first half and second half stoppage time goal in a Barnsley match for 12 months and a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury on the 10th April last year.
One positive is Barnsley have now scored in 18 consecutive away matches – their longest run since a 23 game streak from October 1933 to September 1934.
Adam Phillips injury time strike was Barnsley’s 44th and final away league goal of the regular 2023-2024 which means they should comfortably finish as the highest away scorers in the division this season as they are seven goals clear of anybody else.
Barnsley have failed to win any of their last four penultimate league games, losing three.
They have also failed to win any of their last four final away games of a season, losing three.
Both Barnsley goals came without any direct assist from a team-mate, the third time two or more goals have arrived this way, also at Northampton in September and Wycombe in March, the latter seeing three goals scored without a direct assist.
Phillips has now scored in 19 different matches for Barnsley (all competitions) of which 13 they have won – including each of the first 10, they have won only three of the following nine and none of the last five.
This was his 11th of the season, beating last season’s tally when he netted 10.
Phillips is the only non striker to reach double figures for the Reds since Marley Watkins netted 10 in 2016-2017 and the first to do it in successive seasons since Conor Hourihane netted 14 in 2014-2015 and then 11 in 2015-2016.
Barnsley have now conceded 63 League One goals in 2023-2024 – 15 more than in the entirety of 2022-2023 and indeed their most conceded in a League One campaign since 2004-2005 when they conceded 64 and finished 13th.
This was the 22nd time Barnsley have conceded the opening goal in a league game this season, the most in a third tier campaign since also doing so in 22 games in 2003-2004.
If you discount losing seven in a row in 2015-2016 this is the first time they have lost back to back league games in the third tier on three separate occasions since 2014-2015 when it happened on six occasions.
Barnsley have now lost five successive games against Blackpool in three different competitions (Championship, EFL Trophy and League One)
This is the sixth time the two sides have faced each other three times in a season but the first time one side has won all three.
Blackpool have done a league double over Barnsley in successive seasons for the first time ever.
Blackpool have won three successive Bloomfield Road meetings for only the second time, the other occurring between February 1930 and March 1936.
Barnsley have won only one of their last eight visits (D2 L5)
There were 29 fouls awarded in the match, the joint most in a Barnsley game this season along with the opening day against Port Vale.
Barnsley Team:
1 Liam Roberts
2. Jordan Williams
6. Mael de Gevigney
43. Josh Earl
11. Conor Grant
8. Herbie Kane
7. Nicky Cadden
17. Barry Cotter
44. Devante Cole
30. Adam Phillips
45. John McAtee
Substitutes:
9. Sam Cosgrove (for Grant 45)
22. Corey O’Keeffe (for Cadden 57)
12. Fabio Jalo (for Cotter 57)
19. Aiden Marsh (for Cole 75)
Unused Substitutes:
23. Ben Killip, 26. Jamie McCart, 38. Theo Chapman.
Blackpool Team:
32. Daniel Grimshaw
3. James Husband
21. Marvin Ekpiteta
5. Matthew Pennington
22. CJ Hamilton
11. Karamoko Dembele
10. Sonny Carey
15. Hayden Coulson
7. George Byers
18. Jake Beesley
19. Shayne Lavery
Substitutions:
6. Oliver Norburn (for Lavery 72)
4. Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel (for Coulson 82)
17. Matthew Virtue-Thick (for Byers 82)
27. Kylian Kouassi (for Beesley 90)
9. Kyle Joseph (for Dembele 90)
Unused Substitutes:
1. Richard O’Donnell, 20. Oliver Casey.
SkyBet League One Results:
FRIDAY 19TH APRIL 2024:
Oxford United (7th) 1-1 Stevenage (9th)
Long og 32
Brannagan pen 59
SATURDAY 20TH APRIL 2024:
Northampton Town (14th) 1-2 Exeter City (12th)
Harris 20
Guthrie 73
Aimson 83
Blackpool (8th) 3-2 Barnsley (5th)
Carey 12
Husband 45+3
Coulson 47
McAtee 67
Phillips 90+4
Bolton Wanderers (3rd) 2-0 Port Vale (23rd)
Collins 72
Jerome 90+3
Bristol Rovers (15th) 0-2 Peterborough United (4th)
Randall 41
Jones 90+5
Burton Albion (20th) 3-2 Reading (17th)
Bennett 5
Carayol 11
Wing 34
Kamwa 42
Smith pen 59
Cambridge United (19th) 0-1 Derby County (2nd)
Mendez-Laing 39
Carlisle United(24th) 1-3 Wycombe Wanderers (11th)
McCleary 15
McCalmont 28
Kone 49
McCleary 75
Charlton Athletic (16th) 1-1 Shrewsbury Town (18th)
Udoh 23
Dobson 46
Cheltenham Town (21st) 1-2 Lincoln City (6th)
Sercombe pen 15
Taylor 40
Draper 52
Leyton Orient (10th) 0-1 Fleetwood Town (22nd)
Simons 90+3
Portsmouth (1st) 1-2 Wigan Athletic (13th)
Chambers 22
Magennis 83
Yengi 85
Barnsley lie in 5th place in Sky Bet League One with 75 points from 45 games. We are 1 point inside the Play-Offs, 14 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 19 points off First Place and 34 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 21/4/24
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty Six: Barnsley v Northampton Town, Saturday 27th April 2024. Kick Off: 12:30pm
On The Road:
TBC