The incredible, unthinkable, quite unbelievable has happened – despite being seven points adrift when the season resumed Barnsley climbed out of the relegation zone in the 91st minute of the 46th game to ensure Championship survival! (Depending on the outcome of Wigan’s 12 point deduction appeal)
Due to entering administration the Latics were deducted 12 points when the season ended to drop from 13th to 23rd and lift the Reds out of the bottom three.
Incredibly it is the first time Barnsley have ended a Matchday outside the relegation zone since the last weekend of August when they drew with, ironically, Wigan. A 0-0 draw at the DW saw Barnsley in 21st place but they then dropped to 22nd following a 2-0 home defeat to Leeds on the 15th September and never again went higher for 42 and a half weeks until Clarke Oduor struck in the 91st minute of the final ever regular league match at Griffin Park.
This coupled with Wigan only managing a draw with play-off bound Fulham and Charlton getting crushed 4-0 at champions Leeds meant the Reds leapfrogged those two teams.
Luton managed to defeat Blackburn 3-2 which means last season’s League One top two stayed up but the play-off winners went down.
Barnsley have gained survival by scoring two injury time winners (against Nottingham Forest – this point ultimately robbed Forest of a play-off spot) and Brentford – it is the first time EVER in the club’s history they have won back to back league games thanks to injury time goals.
In total there has been three injury time winners scored by Barnsley this season, the most in a campaign since 2009-2010, however one of those (at Derby) had made it 3-1 before an even later goal pulled it back to 3-2.
Barnsley, in total have scored seven goals in the 90th minute or later in 2019-2020, the most in a second tier season since 2016-2017 (also 7)
Patrick Schmidt has been involved in four of the seven (scored 2 assisted 2)
It is the first time Barnsley have netted in injury time on the final day of a season since 2014-2015 when they did it twice in a 5-0 win over Rochdale in League One and the first time in the Championship since the year before.
Survival was also secured with yet another win in London, four of their five away victories in the elongated 2019-2020 season have come in London (Millwall, Fulham, QPR, Brentford)
It is the first time they have ever won four games in the capital.
This was the first time Barnsley have won their final league game of the season since the promotion campaign of 2015-2016, having lost each of the three since (v Newcastle, Derby and Bristol Rovers)
Substitutes have struck the winning goals in the last two games, the first time this has happened since March 2013 when Chris Dagnall & Bobby Hassell secured wins against Brighton and Watford respectively.
Indeed each of Barnsley’s last three goals have been scored by substitutes (Oduor, Schmidt, Halme) whilst a total of eight have been netted this campaign.
This is the fifth time Barnsley have finished 21st in a division, three of which have occurred in the last eight years (2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2019-2020)
Barnsley led a Championship match at half time for the tenth time this season, they have now gone on to win nine of those matches, only failing to do so at West Brom.
Nine of their 12 league victories have come when ahead at half-time.
The Reds have now won each of the last 11 games in which they have scored the first goal of the game (Fulham, Huddersfield, Crewe, Millwall, QPR, Middlesbrough, Hull, QPR, Blackburn, Nottingham Forest, Brentford), last failing to do so against Reading in December (1-1)
The last time Barnsley were in this division they were relegated on the final day despite starting outside the relegation zone and just like back in 2018 the side who was second bottom at the start of the 46th game have escaped.
On the flip side, just like in 2012-2013 Barnsley went into the final game in the relegation zone but went on to survive.
Barnsley have won back to back Championship games on three separate occasions now this season, the most at this level since 2016-2017 (5)
Brentford enjoyed 62% ball possession, the highest by a Barnsley opponent since West Brom had 68% back in October.
Barnsley have now lost only one of their last six meetings with Brentford, winning three.
They are unbeaten in their last three visits to Griffin Park, winning two and conceding only one goal.
Barnsley’s 12 victories this season is three more than their last season at this level – 2017-2018.
Their 21 defeats this season is two less than their last season at this level – 2017-2018.
Their 49 goals scored this season is one more than their last season at this level – 2017-2018.
Their 69 goals conceded this season is three less than their last season at this level – 2017-2018.
Their 49 points this season is eight more than their last season at this level – 2017-2018.
Barnsley Team:
13. Jack Walton
2. Jordan Williams
6. Mads Andersen
18. Michael Sollbauer
20. Callum Styles
27. Alex Mowatt
17. Marcel Ritzmaier
14. Kilian Ludewig
16. Luke Thomas
11. Conor Chaplin
7. Jacob Brown
Substitutes:
28. Elliot Simoes (for Thomas 56)
22. Clarke Oduor (for Ritzmaier 86)
9. Cauley Woodrow (for Chaplin 86)
19. Patrick Schmidt (for Ludewig 89)
Unused Substitutes:
10. Mike Bahre, 40. Brad Collins, 24. Aapo Halme, 3. Ben Williams, 33. Matty Wolfe.
Brentford Team:
1 David Raya
22. Henrik Dalsgaard
18. Pontus Jansson
5. Ethan Pinnock
3. Rico Henry
17. Emiliano Marcondes
6. Christian Norgaard
14. Josh Dasilva
19. Bryan Mbeumo
11. Ollie Watkins
10. Said Benrahma
Substitutions:
8. Mathias Jensen (for Henry 60)
24. Tariqe Fosu-Henry (for Pinnock 70)
7. Sergi Canos (for Marcondes 70)
26. Shandon Baptiste (for Mbeumo 86)
Unused Substitutes:
28. Luke Daniels, 21. Halil Dervisoglu, 23. Julian Jeanvier, 35. Mads Roerslev, 16. Joel Valencia.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank said:
"Football is 80% suffering and 10% joy. When you have that opportunity to go direct to the Premier League, that is the emotional part of it - but Barnsley did a good job.
"Right now everything is tough but this is football and this is life. This was not straightforward.
"We can't sit down and cry too long because that will never help anything. We need to go again and pick ourselves up. We will have a sleep and then be ready to fight again."
Sky Bet Championship results
WEDNESDAY 22ND JULY 2020
Birmingham City (20th) 1-2 Derby County (10th)
Shinnie 6
Sunjic 56
Whittaker 87
Sibley 90+1
Brentford (3rd) 1-2 BARNSLEY (21st)
Styles 41
Dasilve 73
Oduor 90+1
Bristol City (12th) 1-1 Preston North End (9th)
Maguire 16
Diedhiou 48
Cardiff City (5th) 3-0 Hull City (24th)
Hoilett 20
Morrison 34
Ward 83
Leeds United (1st) 4-0 Charlton Athletic (22nd)
White 13
Dallas 28
Roberts 51
Shackleton 66
Luton Town (19th) 3-2 Blackburn Rovers (11th)
Armstrong 10
Carter og 28
Johnson og 35
Collins pen 60
Gallagher 75
Millwall (8th) 4-1 Huddersfield Town (18th)
Mahoney 4
Grant 36
Cooper 47
Skalak 63
Bodvarsson 79
Nottingham Forest (7th) 1-4 Stoke City (15th)
Batth 19
Figueiredo 61
McClean 73
Gregory 78
Costa og 90+6
Reading (14th) 1-4 Swansea City (6th)
Brewster 17
Puscas pen 43
Routledge 66
Cullen 84
Routledge 90+1
Sheffield Wednesday (16th) 1-2 Middlesbrough (17th)
Murphy 10
McNair 22
Assombalonga 90+3
West Bromwich Albion (2nd) 2-2 Queens Park Rangers (13th)
Manning 34
Diangana 44
Robinson 49
Eze 61
Wigan Athletic (23rd) 1-1 Fulham (4th)
Moore 32
Kebano 49
Barnsley finish in 21st place in the Sky Bet Championship (pending Wigan’s 12 point deduction appeal) with 49 points from 46 games. We finish 21 points outside the Play-Offs, 34 points outside the Automatic Promotion Places, 44 points outside First Place and 1 point above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 23/7/20
Next Up:
2020-2021!