Barnsley kept up their perfect away start to the season with a comfortable and comprehensive win at newly promoted Crawley on only their second ever visit there.
It is the first time Barnsley have won their opening two away league games of a season since 2018-2019.
The Reds were 2-0 up after just 23 minutes in this match, the earliest this has occurred on the road since the 18th February 2023 when they were 2-0 up at Cheltenham after 14 minutes in an eventual 4-0 win.
It is the first time they have led 3-0 at half time away from home in the league since Boxing Day 2023 at Port Vale (a game that would end 3-2)
Two of those first half goals were netted by Adam Phillips, his third brace for the club but first away from home.
His second came from the penalty spot, the Reds’ first goal from 12 yards on the road since Phillips also netted at Charlton on the 6th April.
This penalty means remarkably Barnsley have now scored after 45+, 46, 47 and 48 minutes in 2024-2025 with Phillips scoring two of them.
Donovan Pines got the scoring underway, the USA centre back has started only seven games for Barnsley due to injury but has scored in four of those.
He has been Barnsley’s first goal-scorer twice this season (also at Wigan in the cup) and is the first Reds defender to open the scoring in a league game since Liam Kitching against Bolton in the second leg of the playoffs in 2022-2023.
In all competitions Barnsley have now kept back to back clean sheets, following a run of 15 games without one.
It is the Reds first away clean sheet for 14 games.
They have kept successive clean sheets for the first time since October 2023 when they defeated Cambridge 4-0 and Exeter 1-0.
Max Watters was forced off injured after just nine minutes, it’s Barnsley’s earliest change since the opening day of 2016-2017 when Sam Winnall went off after four minutes at Ipswich.
Barnsley Team:
1. Gabriel Slonina
6. Mael de Gevginey
32. Josh Earl
5. Donovan Pines
2. Barry Cotter
7. Corey O’Keeffe
48. Luca Connell
18. Matthew Craig
8. Adam Phillips
15. Kyran Lofthouse
36. Max Watters
Substitutes:
19. Aiden Marsh (for Watters 9)
45. Vimal Yoganathan (for Lofthouse 68)
4. Marc Roberts (for Pines 80)
Unused Substitutes:
23. Ben Killip, 17. Georgie Gent, 3. Jon Russell, 50. Kelechi Nwakali.
Crawley Team:
1. Jojo Wollacott
24. Toby Mullarkey
20. Joy Mukena
28. Josh Flint
12. Panutche Camara
4. Cameron Brigg
26. Jay Williams
19. Jeremy Kelly
6. Max Anderson
14. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy
10. Ronan Darcy
Substitutions:
7. Harry Forster (for Anderson 45)
9. Will Swan (for Bragg 45)
22. Ade Adeyemo (for Hepburn-Murphy 73)
Unused Substitutes:
16. Eddie Beach, 5. Charlie Barker, 27. Rafiq Khaleel, 18 Junior Quitirna.
SkyBet League One Results:
SATURDAY 31ST AUGUST 2024:
Blackpool (22nd) 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers (16th)
McCleary 10
Joseph 32
Udoh 78
Beesley 84
Rotherham United (17th) 2-1 Huddersfield Town (5th)
Hodge 74
Clarke-Harris pen 77
Wilks 90
Birmingham City (3rd) 2-1 Wigan Athletic (21st)
May 18
Aasgaard 66
Wright 90+1
Bolton Wanderers (18th) 0-2 Exeter City (10th)
Doyle 34
Alli 49
Bristol Rovers (9th) 2-0 Cambridge United (23rd)
Omochere 30
Omochere 48
Crawley Town (12th) 0-3 BARNSLEY (7th)
Pines 12
Phillips 23
Phillips 45+2 pen
Mansfield Town (14th) 1-1 Stockport County (1st)
Boateng 22
Wootton 37
Northampton Town (13th) 0-0 Burton Albion (19th)
Peterborough United (11th) 0-2 Wrexham (2nd)
Marriott 28
Cleworth 39
Reading (8th) 2-0 Charlton Athletic (6th)
Savage 66
Smith 76
Shrewsbury Town (20th) 3-0 Leyton Orient (24th)
Castledine 22
Bloxham 82
Bloxham 90+5
Stevenage (15th) 0-1 Lincoln City (4th)
Moylan pen 72
Barnsley lie in 7th place in Sky Bet League One with 7 points from 4 games. We are 2 points off the Play-Offs, 3 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 3 points off First Place and 4 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 1/9/24
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Five: Barnsley v Bristol Rovers, Saturday 7th September 2024. Kick Off: 3pm.
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Six: Stevenage v Barnsley, Saturday 14th September 2024. Kick Off: 3pm