The Reds are now potentially one win away from securing a League One play-off berth- after being rock bottom of the division at the start of December. Victory over already relegated Colchester (who have now conceded 95 league goals this season- the worst record in the top five divisions) at Oakwell next weekend coupled with defeat for Gillingham and either a draw or defeat for Scunthorpe will ensure that Barnsley’s season extends into at least the middle of May.
The “laundry men” were in form for Barnsley once again as they kept their 16th clean sheet of the season and their third in row. They have now kept 13 shut outs in 2016 from 21 matches; they managed only 12 in the whole of 2015
They have now kept FOUR successive clean sheets on the road and in total have kept eight away from Oakwell this season, their most since keeping nine in that 05-06 promotion season. They will equal that record if they stop Wigan scoring on the final day.
It was also another goal-less first half for Barnsley and they have now gone SIX matches without scoring before the break, four of their last five league games have been 0-0 at the break.
This was Barnsley’s fifth 0-0 draw of the season (they have only drawn seven games in total) it is the most goal-less draws they have had in one season since also managing five in the 2009-2010 season
Barnsley have incredibly now lost only one of their past 12 away league matches and are unbeaten in their last seven. So far they have lost eight times on the road in 2015-2016 meaning this season they will lose their fewest amount of away games in one campaign since at least 2005-2006 when they lost nine. Should they avoid defeat at Wigan on the final day it will be the lowest since 2004-2005 when they also lost eight.
Ivan Toney replaced Ashley Fletcher, one has replaced the other in each of Barnsley’s past five league matches. That was Barnsley’s only substitution in the game, the first time they have made as little as one sub for six matches.
Barnsley now have 70 points, their most in a season since gaining 72 when they won promotion from this league 10 seasons ago. However they have won three more matches and scored two more goals than they did in the whole of that campaign but have conceded seven goals more. If they avoid defeat in either of their final two matches they will also have lost less than the 18 they did back then.
It was a feisty South Yorkshire derby with 28 fouls committed (14 by both sides) It’s the most fouls Barnsley have committed and the most fouls committed in a Barnsley game since the 2-0 win at Fleetwood eight games ago (28 in total, 20 by Barnsley)
Yesterday’s game saw 23,307 attend Bramall Lane, the stadium’s biggest attendance of the season. In the past two seasons only twice has this attendance been surpassed, against Chesterfield last May- 26,078… and in last season’s game with Barnsley - 24,495.
Barnsley Team:
Adam Davies
Josh Scowen
Marc Roberts
Alfie Mawson
George Williams
Adam Hammill
Josh Brownhill
Conor Hourihane
Lloyd Isgrove
Ashley Fletcher
Sam Winnall
Substitutes:
Ivan Toney (Fletcher 90+4)
Unused Substitutes:
Nick Townsend, Lewin Nyatanga, Otis Khan, Jak McCourt, Harry Chapman, Shaun Tuton.
Match Reports:
Sky Bet League One results:
Saturday 23rd April 2016:
Sheffield United 0-0 BARNSLEY
Bradford 4-0 Walsall
Morais 54
Hanson 58,72,73
Bury 1-3 Millwall
Lowe 45 Taylor 4,83, Morison 33
Colchester 0-3 Burton
Akins 45,49,60
Doncaster 2-0 Coventry
Rowe 21
Williams 32
Fleetwood 0-0 Blackpool
Gillingham 2-3 Shrewsbury
McDonald 45+3 Kaikai 16, Mangan 56, Akpa-Akpro 81
Hessenthaler 61
Oldham 1-0 Crewe
Forte 59
Peterborough 0-2 Scunthorpe
Santos og 51 Hopper 76
Port Vale 4-1 Rochdale
Robinson 37 Andrew 5
O’Connor pen 45,
pen 76
Hooper 46
Swindon 1-0 Chesterfield
Kasim 77
Wigan 4-1 Southend
McCann 9 Morgan og 74
Grigg 17,36
Jacobs 50
Barnsley lie in 6th place in the Sky Bet League One with 70 points from 44 games.
We are 1 point inside the Play-Offs, 11 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 14 points off First place and 24 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 24/4/16
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty- Five: Barnsley v Colchester United Saturday 30th April 2016. Kick-Off: 3pm.
Tickets:
Adult: £20-£25
Over 65s: £15-£18
Age 17-21: £15-£18
Under 17: £10
Under 12: £5
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Forty-Four: Sheffield United v Barnsley, Saturday 23rd April 2016 Kick-Off 12:30pm.
Tickets:
Adult: £20
Over 65: £17
Under 18: £10
Under 11: £5
Under 5: £2