Barnsley remain hot on the coat-tails of the top two (with third placed Bolton coming to Oakwell on Tuesday) as they came from 1-0 down AGAIN to win for the third successive game and fourth in the last five.
Prior to this season Barnsley had gone 97 league games without managing to win after conceding the first goal, but this was the SIXTH occasion it has happened in 2023-2024.
Remarkably it is the first time they have won a match after being 1-0 and then 2-1 down for 21 years, winning 3-2 at Peterborough in October 2003.
It is the second time they have won an away match despite conceding twice, also doing so at Port Vale on Boxing Day (3-2) – the first time it has occurred twice in a season since 2015-2016.
This result also continued Barnsley’s perfect scoring record in 2024 – they have scored in all 11 league games this calendar year and are one of only two League One clubs to have scored in every league game of 2024 (a total of 19 goals) along with Wigan (17 goals)
It is the first time Barnsley have scored in their first 11 league games of a calendar year since 2014 when they scored in their first 14 league matches.
Barnsley have now overall scored in 18 successive league games (W11 D6 L1), stretching back to a 3-0 defeat at Derby on the 11th November 2023, their longest scoring league streak since another run of 18 between 16th October 1999 and 22nd January 2000 in the second tier. (W12 D3 L3)
This four goal haul means Barnsley have now netted 64 in League One this season so far – the most in the division.
They have scored 32 away from home which is also a league high.
Barnsley now have the joint best away record in League One this season having picked up 36 points (the same as league leaders Portsmouth) whilst only Championship leaders Leicester have more in the EFL (38)
Barnsley have now won three successive league games for the third time in 2023-2024 - it happened on four occasions in 2022-2023.
This victory saw Barnsley reach 66 points after 34 games – the exact same amount as they had at this stage last season.
They were also in fourth place after 34 games of 2022-2023, however whilst they are currently only three points off 2nd place, they were eight points off the automatics 12 months ago.
Jon Russell was booked after 90+7 minutes, the 10th injury time yellow card Barnsley have received in League One this season, whilst it is the 27th yellow card in the 80th minute or later in all competitions this season from a total of 158 (17%)
The league’s joint top scorer Devante Cole has now gone five games without a goal, his longest drought of the season and longest since failing to score in any of his final seven appearances of 2022-2023.
Barnsley’s first equaliser came on 45+2, the latest first half goal the Reds have scored since 10th April 2023 when Cole also scored after 45+2 in a 2-1 win against Shrewsbury.
Barnsley scored four times in an away league game for the fifth time since returning to League One in 2022.
This was the second time this season there has been six goals in a Barnsley league game this season – the 7-0 opening day victory over Port Vale the other occasion – one less than in 2022-2023 (4-4, 5-1, 4-2)
Barnsley are now nine points inside the play-offs, the biggest margin since the final day of last season when the Reds finished 10 points above seventh place.
Barnsley have now won successive matches when conceding the first goal for the first time since December 2020 when they were 1-0 down to both Sheffield Wednesday and Preston before coming back to win 2-1 in both.
Conor Grant is the first substitute to score for Barnsley in 15 matches since Max Watters netted at Reading on the 9th December.
Barnsley scored three second half goals for the first time since the final away game of the regular season in 2022-2023 (a 4-4 draw at MK Dons)
It is the second time this season Barnsley have scored at least four goals after the 45th minute, having netted five against Port Vale on the opening day
This was Barnsley’s tenth away win of the season – the same amount as they managed in the whole of 2022-2023.
Sam Cosgrove netted his third goal for the club – two have come against Wycombe having netted the winner in the reverse fixture in November.
As well as a Cosgrove goal in both meetings there has also been a Wycombe red card in both and indeed there has been a red card shown in five of the 12 meetings overall between the two clubs.
This result gave Barnsley their second league double of the season (also v Port Vale)
Barnsley have now won each of the last three meetings and six of the last seven (L1) prior to this they had won only one of the first five meetings (W1 D3 L1)
This was the first time in four meetings that both teams have scored with this only the second time ever that both have scored at least twice.
Barnsley had 68% ball possession – their joint most in a match in any competition this season (also the home game with Blackpool in September which they lost 1-0)
Barnsley Team:
1. Liam Roberts
43. Josh Earl
5. Donovan Pines
6. Mael de Gevigney
48. Luca Connell
2. Jordan Williams
22. Corey O’Keeffe
8. Herbie Kane
30. Adam Phillips
9. Sam Cosgrove
44. Devante Cole
Substitutes:
11. Conor Grant (for Connell 66)
19. Aiden Marsh (for Cosgrove 76)
3. Jon Russell (for Phillips 83)
Unused Substitutes:
23. Ben Killip, 26. Jamie McCart, 17. Barry Cotter, 10. Josh Benson.
Wycombe Team:
25. Franco Ravizzoli
17. Joe Low
10. Luke Leahy
6. Ryan Tafazolli
2. Jack Grimmer
20. Dale Taylor
8. Matt Butcher
23. Kieran Sadlier
12. Garath McCleary
4. Josh Scowen
30. Beryly Lubala
Substitutions:
24. Richard Kone (for Lubala 61)
7. David Wheeler (for McCleary 67)
9. Sam Vokes (for Taylor 67)
28. Gideon Kodua (for Sadlier 67)
19. Freddie Potts (for Scowen 73)
Unused Substitutes:
29. Nathan Shepperd, 22. Nigel Lonwijk.
SkyBet League One Results:
Bolton Wanderers (3rd) 2-0 Cambridge United 19th)
Thomason 35
Collins 66
Carlisle United (24th) 1-3 Reading (16th)
Smith 17
Knibbs 36
Knibbs 57
Mellish 71
Cheltenham Town (21st) 0-0 Burton Albion (17th)
Derby County (2nd) 3-0 Port Vale (22nd)
Sibley 5
Gayle 44
Sibley 58
Fleetwood Town (23rd) 4-2 Wigan Athletic (13th)
Lawal 15
Humprhys 17
Aasgaard 26
Lawal 36
Kilkenny 54
Stockley 61
Leyton Orient (9th) 0-1 Bristol Rovers (11th)
Martin 30
Lincoln City (10th) 0-0 Stevenage (6th)
Northampton Town (12th) 1-1 Charlton Athletic (18th)
Anderson 4
Appere 80
Peterborough United (5th) 2-1 Exeter City (15th)
Mason-Clark 4
Carroll 36
Poku 68
Portsmouth (1st) 2-1 Oxford United (7th)
Lang 2
Brannagan pen 6
Saydee 67
Shrewsbury Town (20th) 0-2 Blackpool (8th)
Dembele 43
Coulson 84
Wycombe Wanderers (14th) 2-4 BARNSLEY (4TH)
Taylor 16
Cosgrove 45+2
Sadlier 52
Pines 56
O’Keeffe 65
Grant 72
Barnsley lie in 4th place in Sky Bet League One with 66 points from 34 games. We are 9 points inside the Play-Offs, 3 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 10 points off First Place and 32 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 4/3/24
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Five: Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers, Tuesday 5th March 2024. Kick Off: 7:45pm
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Thirty Seven: Carlisle United v Barnsley, Tuesday 12th March 2024. Kick Off: 7:45pm