Barnsley staged a remarkable late fight-back to maintain their unbeaten record when opening the scoring this season as they scored three times in 13 minutes to fight back from 4-1 down to draw a match 4-4 for the first time in 21 years.
The last time they were involved in this scoreline was at Fratton Park on the 2nd February 2002 against Portsmouth, a game in which they were 4-2 down before fighting back in the last six minutes.
That was also the last time Barnsley scored as many as four times in a game and failed to win – they have scored exactly four goals on 34 occasions in-between these two 4-4 draws (all comps)
This result did however end their 15 match winning run when opening the scoring and was only the second time in the last 26 occasions that they haven’t won. They are though now unbeaten in their last 29 league matches when going 1-0 up (W26 D3) last losing from a 1-0 lead in the final home game of 2021-2022 against Preston (1-3)
Barnsley have drawn two of their past four league matches (W1 L1) having only drawn one of the previous 14 (W11 L2)
Barnsley have conceded more than twice in both their previous two matches, it had only happened twice in the prior 21 league outings.
Barnsley conceded as many as four goals for the first time in 2022-2023 (all comps), last doing so on the final day of 2021-2022.
It is the first time they have conceded this many in 72 League One games – last doing so at Sunderland in November 2018 (lost 4-2)
It is however the seventh time they have scored at least four times in 2022-2023 (all comps) the most in a season since 2018-2019 (8)
Barnsley conceded a penalty for the seventh time in the league this season, and was the sixth one converted.
They have conceded penalties in each of their last two matches.
Mo Eisa converted from 12 yards, one of two goals he netted and became the fifth player to net home and away against the Reds this season in the league after Colby Bishop, Tommy Leigh, Jay Stanfield and Conor Chaplin.
Eisa is the third opponent to net a league brace against Barnsley this season following Exeter’s Stansfield and Sheffield Wednesday’s Lee Gregory.
Barnsley led at half time away from home for the ninth time this season and this was only the second time they haven’t gone on to win (also at Accrington)
There were eight goals in a Barnsley league game for the first time since the 14th December 2019 when the Reds defeated QPR 5-3 at Oakwell, it is the first time in an away game since the 23rd February 2013 when they lost 5-3 at Bristol City.
Both Eisa and Barnsley’s Max Watters scored twice, the first time there has been two braces in a Barnsley game since November 2015 when Adam Armstrong for Coventry and Josh Scowen for Barnsley both netted twice in a 4-3 win for the Sky Blues.
Watters is the first Barnsley player to net a brace from the bench since Andy Gray at Cardiff in 2011.
It was Barnsley’s sixth League One brace of the season (Devante Cole x3, Slobodan Tedic and Adam Phillips have netted the others)
There has been four braces in the last nine outings.
Watters brace were the 10th and 11th league goals scored by a Barnsley substitute this season and the second and third by Watters – Devante Cole Josh Martin, James Norwoodx2, Adam Phillips, Luke Thomas, Jack Aitchison, and Slobodan Tedic have also netted from the bench.
Three of Watters four goals for the club have come from the bench and all of those three have come in games in which Barnsley have netted four times (also 4-2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday)
His equaliser was the 12th league goal Barnsley have scored in the 85th minute or later this season.
Watters both scored and assisted, the tenth time this season (all comps) that a Barnsley player has both scored and assisted in the same game.
Watters is the first to score a brace and assist in a league game this season and second overall after Josh Martin in the Football League Trophy win at Doncaster.
That fourth goal saw Barnsley reach 80 league goals (only Ipswich with 99 have scored more), it is the first time they have reached this mark since their last League One campaign, in 2018-2019 when they scored exactly 80. They last netted more in a 46 game season in 1999-2000 when they scored 88.
This was the first time Barnsley have drawn their penultimate regular game of a season since 2016-2017 (W3 L2)
Barnsley will finish 4th in the league – a position they have held since the 7th March. It is only the fourth time they have finished in this position – also in the second tier in 1912-1913, fourth tier in 1978-1979 and second tier in 1999-2000.
Barnsley will compete in an end of season play-offs for the fifth time, it will be their third occasion at this level and they have won both of the previous two, finishing in fifth and sixth respectively on those occasions.
They finished their regular season away campaign with ten victories, which is one less than in 2015-2016, 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 – three of their last four play-off campaigns however is one more than 1999-2000.
Their six away defeats however is their fewest amount since their Premier League promotion season of 1996-1997 (5)
Barnsley have drawn three of their four league visits to Milton Keynes and are still winless there in league competition.
The two teams drew each of the first three meetings in all competitions with three Barnsley wins and three MK Dons wins since.
There were a total of 34 shots in the game, the most in a Barnsley match this season and most since ironically the penultimate game of last season v Preston – also 34.
17 were on target, the most this season and most since the Chelsea cup game in September 2020 (20)
There were only 16 fouls, only in the home meeting with Exeter in October (12) has there been less in a Barnsley league game in 2022-2023.
Barnsley Team:
1. Harry Isted
24. Robbie Cundy
12. Bobby Thomas
5. Liam Kitching
2. Jordan Williams
10. Josh Benson
8. Herbie Kane
16. Luke Thomas
7. Nicky Cadden
31. Slobodan Tedic
9. James Norwood
Substitutes:
17. Barry Cotter (for Cundy 64)
47. Max Watters (for Tedic 64)
3. Jon Russell (for Benson 74)
23. Oli Shaw (for Norwood 74)
Unused Substitutes:
26. Ziyad Larkeche, 40. Brad Collins, 44. Devante Cole.
MK Dons Team:
1. Jamie Cumming
24. Sullay Kaikai
5. Warren O'Hora
4. Jack Tucker
3. Dean Lewington
2. Tennai Watson
42. Paris Maghoma
6. Josh McEachran
16. Conor Grant
12. Jonathan Leko
10. Mo Eisa
Substitutions:
14. Bradley Johnson (for McEachran 77)
28. Dawson Devoy (for Grant 77)
33. Zak Jules (for Kaikai 85)
9. Will Grigg (for Eisa 85)
29. Max Dean (for Leko 85)
Unused Substitutes:
11. Nathan Holland, 23. Franco Ravizzoli
Match Reports:
Official Website
BBC
Sky Sports
Sky Bet League One Results:
SATURDAY 29TH APRIL 2023:
Accrington Stanley (23rd) 1-2 Cambridge United (22nd)
Dunk 42
Thomas 65
Pressley pen 83
Bolton Wanderers (5th) 2-0 Fleetwood Town (12th)
Omochere og 18
Dempsey 78
Charlton Athletic (10th) 3-2 Port Vale (18th)
Campbell 14
Rak-Sakyi 58
Plant 62
Leaburn 77
Taylor pen 90+7
Derby County (6th) 1-1 Portsmouth (8th)
Bishop 24
Collins 71
Forest Green Rovers (24th) 0-3 Oxford United (19th)
Joseph 11
Goodrham 46
Bodin 68
Ipswich Town (2nd) 6-0 Exeter City (14th)
Chaplin 8
Luongo 16
Hirst 22
Broadhead pen 28
Chaplin 32
Burns 47
Milton Keynes Dons (20th) 4-4 BARNSLEY (4th)
Kane 30
Eisa pen 48
Leko 52
Eisa 61
O’Hora 69
Norwood 73
Watters 75
Watters 86
Morecambe (21st) 3-2 Lincoln City (11th)
Sorensen 30
Virtue 48
Stockton 50
Niasse 66
Stockton 86
Peterborough United (7th) 0-0 Bristol Rovers (15th)
Plymouth Argyle (1st) 1-0 Burton Albion (17th)
Ennis 45
Shrewsbury Town (13th) 0-3 Sheffield Wednesday (3rd)
Smith 8
Smith 48
Smith 81
Wycombe Wanderers (9th) 0-3 Cheltenham Town (16th)
Keena pen 37
May 68
Keena 88
Barnsley lie in 4th place in Sky Bet League One with 86 points from 45 games. We are 12 points inside the Play-Offs, 11 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 12 points off First Place and 42 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 30/4/23
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty Six: Barnsley v Peterborough United, Sunday 7th May 2023. Kick Off: 12noon
On The Road:
TBC