Barnsley continued their record-breaking away start as they picked up a fifth win from six unbeaten games to start 2023-2024.
Their 16 point haul is the best away from home in the EFL so far this season with only Championship side Leicester having a better record on the road by virtue of playing one game less (they have a perfect five from five)
It is Barnsley’s best ever start to an away campaign and the first time they have remained unbeaten in their opening six away matches since the Premier League promotion season of 1996-1997 when they did not lose until their eighth away match (W4 D3)
After drawing their opening away match at Bristol Rovers the Reds have gone on to win five in a row on the road for the first time since they set a club record of six successive away league wins between 14th February and 5th April 2021.
The winning (and only goal) did not arrive until the 89th minute when John McAtee netted his second goal for the club – his two goals for the club have arrived after 89 and 90+2 minutes.
It is the latest Barnsley have won a game since October last year when Jack Aitchison (who ironically was playing for Exeter in this match) scored after 90 at Fleetwood on the 1st October 2022.
It the seventh goal Barnsley have scored in the final five minutes of games this season in all comps.
McAtee’s goal is the fifth netted by a Barnsley substitute this season, two of which have been scored by him.
Barnsley have achieved back to back away wins with clean sheets twice this season, the first time it has happened on multiple occasions since 2015-2016.
Indeed Barnsley have conceded only twice on the road this season, the joint best defensive away record in the EFL along with Championship outfit Ipswich.
Only Barnsley and Portsmouth remain unbeaten on the road in League One in 2023-2024.
The Reds are now unbeaten in their last 10 League One away matches (W6 D4) – last suffering defeat at Burton on the 7th April. They have lost only two of the last 18 (W10 D6)
It is their longest unbeaten away run since another run of ten between two seasons – the final three away games of 1995-1996 and first seven of 1996-1997. (W5 D5)
This was Barnsley’s seventh league win of the season, exactly the same amount of wins as they had after 12 games of their last League One promotion season (2018-2019) they did have three more points at that stage but were third as they are now and ironically Portsmouth were top as they are now.
Six of Barnsley’s seven wins have been accompanied with clean sheets, the one exception being the 2-1 victory at Northampton. However their consolation came in the eighth minute of injury time so Barnsley have won their first seven league games of a season without conceding a goal inside the 90minutes for the first time since 1994-1995 when incredibly their first FIFTHEEN league wins were to nil – what makes it even more remarkable is they only won 16 that season with a final day 3-2 victory at Bolton denying them a clean sweep of victories without conceding.
Barnsley are the current League One top scorers having netted 25 goals in nine games (two more than the next most – Oxford) the quickest they have reached the quarter century mark since also scoring 25 after 12 in 1999-2000.
This was the first time Barnsley have won a game this season by scoring less than at least twice (all comps) from a total of nine wins.
Barnsley have now won three of their last five meetings with Exeter and all three have been 1-0, however two of those were in 1980 and 1981 – the Grecians did the double over the Reds last season and indeed were the only side to do so.
This was only the third time Barnsley have won at Exeter – all three have been accompanied with clean sheets – they have lost all of the other nine times they have visited.
Exeter only managed one shot on target, the fourth team (all comps) Barnsley have restricted to just on effort on target this season (also Wigan, Burton and Man City Under 21s)
There has been 12 corners awarded in each of Barnsley’s last two matches with them and their opponents both winning six in both.
Barnsley Team:
1. Liam Roberts
2. Jordan Williams
6. Mael de Gevigney
26. Jamie McCart
22. Corey O’Keeffe
7. Nicky Cadden
8. Herbie Kane
3. Jon Russell
20. Callum Styles
36. Max Watters
44. Devante Cole
Substitutes:
45. John McAtee (for Watters 60)
30. Adam Phillips (for Russell 65)
17. Barry Cotter (for O’Keeffe 66)
29. Owen Dodgson (for Cadden 81)
9. Sam Cosgrove (for Cole 81)
Unused Substitutes:
23. Ben Killip, 41. Jack Shepherd.
Exeter Team:
1. Viljami Sinisalo
5. Alex Hartridge
26. Pierce Sweeney
4. Will Aimson
16. Harry Kite
3. Zak Jules
31. Vincent Harper
12. Reece Cole
11. James Scott
29. Jack Aitchison
7. Demetri Mitchell
Substitutions:
8. Ryan Trevitt (for Aitchison 71)
13. Yanic Wildschut (for Harper 71)
23. Kyle Taylor (for Cole 79)
10. Admiral Muskwe (for Kite 90+3)
19. Sonny Cox (for Hartridge 90+3)
Unused Substitutes:
33. Gary Woods, 47. Jake Richards.
Match Reports:
League One Results:
SATURDAY 7TH OCTOBER 2023:
Oxford United (2nd) 2-1 Bristol Rovers (13th)
Bodin 13
Long 81
Collins 89
Bolton Wanderers (6th) 1-3 Carlisle United (20th)
Mellish og 28
Gibson pen 44
Gibson 70
Gibson 90+5
Charlton Athletic (12th) 2-2 Blackpool (10th)
Rhodes 34
Dembele 70
May 81
Blackett-Taylor 83
Cheltenham Town (24th) 1-1 Derby County (8th)
Street 39
Nelson 45+7
Exeter City (11th) 0-1 BARNSLEY (3rd)
McAtee 89
Fleetwood Town (21st) 1-4 Wycombe Wanderers (7th)
Taylor 20
Potts 34
Taylor 41
Marriott 61
Leahy 64
Leyton Orient (16th) 2-1 Reading (22nd)
Brown 26
Bindon 35
Moncur 90
Peterborough United (5th) 2-0 Lincoln City (14th)
Ajiboye 52
Randall 83
Portsmouth (1st) 2-0 Port Vale (9th)
Bishop 53
Bishop 58 pen
Shrewsbury Town (19th) 1-0 Northampton Town (17th)
Udoh 90+1
Stevenage (4th) 1-0 Wigan Athletic (23rd)
Pressley pen 9
MONDAY 9TH OCTOBER 2023:
Burton Albion (18th) 2-1 Cambridge United (15th)
Walker 10
Oshilaja 31
Okenabirhie 67
Barnsley lie in 3rd place in Sky Bet League One with 22 points from 12 games. We are 3 points inside the Play-Offs, 5 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 6 points off First Place and 14 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 10/10/23
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirteen: Leyton Orient v Barnsley, Saturday 21st October 2023. Kick Off: 3pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Fourteen: Barnsley v Shrewsbury Town, Tuesday 24th October 2023. Kick Off: 7:45pm