Kiah Vallance

Bristol Rovers Vs Barnsley FC: Match Preview 🔴🗞️

After an emphatic 7-0 victory on our League one opener, the reds travel down south to take on Bristol Rovers who shared the points in their first game against Portsmouth in a 1-1 draw. However this will be no easy game as the Gasheads have significantly improved during the transfer window.

What to expect?

After the 7-0 victory against Port Vale last Saturday, morale is high in and around the club with expectations being set high from the 7 goal thriller, the reds will look to get all three points this weekend at the memorial ground although it won’t be as easy as we think. Bristol Rovers so far enjoyed the transfer window as they have brought in the likes of former Exeter City starlet Jevani Brown who last year accumulated more than 20 goal contributions before being released. They have also brought in Luke Thomas from the reds this window on an undisclosed fee who scored the opener in their game against Portsmouth. As well as incomings, the opposition have done well to keep hold of the likes of Aaron Collins who no doubt was one of the best players of last season having won the League One player of the season. As for us we will more than likely start with the same 11 from the previous match however there may be change within the strike partnership with Andy Dallas and Oli Shaw proving very promising, therefore Max Watter may be dropped to the bench in order for one of the other two to be given a well deserved start in league. Our Caraboa Cup exit on Tuesday night against tranmere also saw a handful of first team players make an appearance which may come with fitness precautions with certain players being rested such as Barry Cotter and Jon Russell who both made an appearance. With the exit from the cup it also does come with positives as it gives us more of a reason to put all of our focus into the league, as well as the less likely change of injuries and fitness issues as the squad at the moment is still looking light and we are still in need of a few more signings.

Connell, Phillips still to return…

Due to injuries and suspensions the squad still looks light in a number of areas including the midfield as we are still yet to see the return of Luca Connell from illness and Adam Philips from suspension. With the addition of these two players into the current squad it would completely transform the transitional style of football that we like to play with the fast build up and counter-attacking route that we play, it gives us more depth and the ability to change the way we play as styles also brings in different type of player meaning that we have a plethora of midfielders to have at our disposal which will no doubt leave Collins with a headache due to our current performance. While on the topic of midfielders it is also worth nothing that Matty Wolfe is back in first team training after recovering from a long term injury and surgery, as well as in defence the likes of Robbie Cundy and Conor McCarthy’s return to training and football just around the corner. Unfortunately Corey O’Keefe picked up an injury last Saturday which brought his Oakwell debut to a halt after being subbed off just 33 minutes in, Gaffer Neil Collins has confirmed he is likely to miss the Bristol Rovers match as a precaution but will hopefully be back to full fitness in due course.

Still business to be done!

With the recent addition of French centre back Mael De Givigney for an undisclosed fee last week, it certainly gives us breathing space in the event of injury or fitness issues as Jordan Williams is currently being utilised as a centre back due to the lack of depth although he has performed above expectations. The transfer window remains open for another 21 days and with the number 9 shirt still a vacant spot, I expect the reds to bring in a new number 9 before the window ends which will hopefully bring us the perfect the replacement for James Norwood and give us the experience and worth ethic that he brought to this youthful side. The game against Bristol rovers will be a test for the reds but a good one at that as in the event of a loss it may bring the reds back down to earth to show that despite a 7-0 victory there is still 110% worth rate needed and the performance level needs to matched week in week out if we are to compete with the top tier sides in the league.

Barnsley Vs Port Vale: Match Preview 🔴🗞️

With the opener to our 2023/24 Campaign just around the corner with the reds taking on Port Vale at Oakwell, let’s look into the affair and what we can expect from the reds in our first game of the season!

Starting 11, What To Expect?

When compared to our strongest 11’s of last season, the squad as of now looks quite similar as the reds have done well to keep hold of top talents such as Luca Connell and Liam kitching, however there is no doubt the squad has lost a lot of talent in losing skipper Mads Andersen to Luton Town. Between the sticks we will more than likely see new signing Liam Roberts who joined the reds on a season-long loan from Middlesbrough, he arrives with hope that he can reach the standards Harry Isted set for the reds last year and become one of the first names on the team sheet. In defence, there has certainly been a lot of squad depth added with the likes of Kacper Lopata and Kyran Lofthouse (both formally of National League outlet Woking) as well as Corey O’Keefe from Forest Green Rovers for and undisclosed fee. In midfield we will hopefully see more talent than last year with the addition of Callum Styles who spent large duration of last season on loan at championship side Milwall, despite the transfer rumours regarding his full departure, the Hungarian has looked promising in pre-season and is looking to be an excellent player for us if we can hold onto him. He will join our current go-too midfield three of Philips, Connell and Kane, and will more than likely start in the fixture due to Luca Connell being out through injury. As for the attacking presence in the side, the reds have been criticised for the lack of ambition in what was arguably our weakest link last season as the reds have brought in Andy Dallas from National League side Solihull Moors as well as bringing back to Oakwell, Max Watters for an undisclosed fee. Although we are yet to see anything of Andy Dallas in a red shirt, surely there is still serious business to do especially with the recent news of James Norwood on the move to Oldham Athletic, this leaves a gaping hole in our goalscoring abilities this season which has come at the wrong time. Though the transfer window remains fully open, things aren’t looking all too positive for us Barnsley fans at the moment.

Our Opposition!

Port Vale finished last season in 18th place surviving the drop by a nail biting 4 points, therefore at home the reds will most definitely be the favourites to come out on top in a convincing fashion. However in the transfer window Port Vale have made some good signings this summer with the likes of Thomas Sang coming in from Cardiff City who will no doubt be a key asset in this Vale side and cause problems down that right and side. Another player to keep an eye on is midfielder Conor Grant from newly promoted side Plymouth Argyle in which he made more than 100 appearances. Under boss Andy Crosby who took charge of Port Vale in the latter stages of last season, they certainly have a lot more hope in this years campaign as Crosby managed to keep them up in their relegation scrap.

Life Under New Boss, Collins

After the unfortunate departure of Michael Duff to Swansea, we turned our heads to Neill Collins and John stead, both former EFL players in their footballing careers. Although the pair have only worked together at 2nd division USL side Tampa Bay Rowdies, they fit the bill in terms of what type of manager we need. Collins is a young manager who is more than capable of adapting the 532 system in which was seen through last season, Collins has been named the USL Championship Coach of the Season at his previous club and became a real favourite amongst the fans. Hopefully Collins can replicate engagement Michael Duff had with the fans and give us that much needed Crowd spirit which proved effective last season when we relied on it most.

Barnsley Vs Wednesday: Match Review 🗞️

After what seems to be one of the best games oakwell has seen in a long time, The boys in red put 4 goals past (then) league leaders Sheffield Wednesday which blew the race for automatic promotion wide open! Despite the game levelling in the 74th minute, the reds dug deep to find two more decisive goals to see off our fierce rivals.

Game of the season!

It’s not everyday you see a 6-goal thriller at Oakwell, yet the reds did just that in an emphatic fashion having played Sheffield Wednesday off the park from the first whistle to the last. An early Devante Cole strike through goalkeeper Cameron Dawson’s legs saw the reds take the lead early on into the first half, then without any time to comprehend the early impact James Norwood slotted a 2nd for the reds from outside the box just 13 seconds after kick-off! The pressing from the reds got the best of the Wednesday side leading Will Vaulks to cause the mistake for the Norwood goal which went on to cause more and more problems through the night for Wednesday as the stamina and work ethic from Barnsley was simply unmatched. However striker Lee Gregory did go on to pull one back for the owls within the first half to give them some sort of hope going into the second. Then after a more one-sided second half in favour of Sheffield Wednesday, Gregory found his second to level the scoring and put pressure on the reds. Despite his efforts however, substitute Max Watters fired the reds into the lead after one of the Wednesday defence’s many errors resulting in the ball falling to his feet on the penalty spot unmarked and then him striking to the ball into the roof of the net. That wasn’t all though! Under previous managers we would sat back at 3-2 and invited the pressure of the opposing sides risking the inevitability of losing the 3 points, but not under Duff as the reds continued their relentless efforts which was rewarded in a remarkable Liam Kitching last minute winner to secure the victory and the all important 3 points.

Oakwell Fortress

With the victory against Wednesday being our 22nd of the campaign, It also was our 6th home win in our last 6 home games meaning our last defeat at Oakwell came just under 3 months ago dating back to the 2nd of January when the reds suffered a 3-0 defeat against play-off contenders Bolton Wanderers. However over recent weeks the reds have succeeded in our tough run of games against the top 6 sides having gained 12 points from a possible 12 against the likes of Derby, Plymouth, Wycombe and Wednesday. With only a matter of games until the curtain is drawn on the 2022/23 season, the charge for automatic promotion is in our hands and despite the continued effort and sublime performances from the reds, there is plenty of work yet to be done to fight of the likes of Plymouth, Ipswich and Wednesday who currently occupy the spaces above. As of today this means the reds are unbeaten in 12 league games (the current longest unbeaten run in the league!) showing the mindset the players have and the question to be asked, who can stop us ?

Upcoming affairs

With the Match against Ipswich being (wrongly) postponed at the weekend due to International duty for the Ipswich players, yet only 2 of their squad members have been called up causing a lot of complaints from Barnsley fans as to why the game should not go ahead, although if I was an Ipswich fan I would be crossing my fingers that it remains postponed due to the flying form the reds would be going into the game with. Our next game however will be against southern outlet Exeter City at St. James Park on a Tuesday night in which the reds will hopefully get revenge for the 2-0 defeat they suffered in the reverse fixture at home thanks to an impressive Jay Stansfield brace. The reds still remain 2 games in hand over Plymouth Argyle and 1 against Ipswich and with a point difference of 8 for Plymouth and 3 for Ipswich, the season deciding games can most certainly come down to the final day. As for the upcoming fixtures, the reds have on paper quite an easy run of games with only 3 of the final 10 teams (Ipswich, Peterborough and Shrewsbury) in the top half of the table with only one being Ipswich actually in the top 6. Can the reds run riot and rack up maximum points? Or are we getting too ahead of ourselves? Either way the end of this season will be like none other and the reds have more than enough fire power to get us promoted to the Championship!

Barnsley Vs Plymouth: Match review 🗞️

With the Reds annihilating Plymouth 3-0 in a very important top-of-the-table clash, the race for 2nd place has blown wider than we have seen before with the reds emerging as favourites to snatch the position in the latter stages of the remaining games left, despite having some season-altering fixtures only a matter of days away.

2nd place race

With the reds turning over Plymouth in a very convincing fashion, the gap between the two sides shortens to 8 points with 2 very decisive games in hand for Barnsley leaving them with the chance to clinch 2nd place in their hands. With Ipswich still left to play just around the corner, the lads have the perfect opportunity to steal points from these neighbouring teams and benefit from the games in hands to creep further and further up the table. Plymouth however still have a very easy run of games in terms of the opposing sides league positions, though we mustn’t belittle these sides as a large amount will be battling for survival around the relegation zone which will by far put Plymouth to the ultimate test if they are to achieve automatic promotion. As for Ipswich they are still left to play play-off contenders Wycombe Wanderers who face Barnsley next Saturday, as well as other top teams such as Peterborough United and and Derby County. With Barnsley breezing past the tough and upcoming fixtures, surely we will see the 2nd place race go down to the wire and potentially all come down to the final day…

Best midfield in the league?

From goal-scoring machine Adam Philips, to Luca Connell’s work ethic and Herbie Kanes magic feet, these lads by far have proven to be one of if not the best midfield in the league having contributed to a staggering total of 27 goal contributions in the league and being the core of this Barnsley side. Philips continued his goal scoring form at the weekend after rifling his 7th goal of the season into the bottom right-hand corner to put the reds in the lead in the 60th minute. As for Kane and Connell, over the weeks the two have created more chances in the team than any other player which was shown with Kane winning Man of the match which was fully deserved after putting in one of his best performances, whilst also scoring in the first half just for it to be ruled out for a controversial offside call by the linesman. Luca Connell has shown for weeks he has the traits and charisma of a true captain and has made Barnsley fans scratch their heads on the question how did we get the lad on a free. Connell could have scored the first goal of the game against Plymouth however he scuffed his shot wide, but fortunately it did not come back to haunt him as the reds completely took the second half by storm.

Fine form and upcoming fixtures

After the 3-0 win on Saturday against Plymouth, that puts us on a 10 game unbeaten streak with the last defeat coming way back in January against Charlton away from home showing how far the team has come over the last few months and how Michael Duff has hit the nail on the head with shaping the side to be serious contenders for promotion. As well as our continued unbeaten streak, the Reds have scored the most goals since February than any other team within the top 4 leagues in England proving how the reds have been relentless in front of goal and have capitalised on the mistakes made from the opposing sides. As for the upcoming fixtures the reds will be again put to the test with them having to play Wycombe away from home and the long-awaited South Yorkshire derby against high-fliers Sheffield Wednesday on a Tuesday night. These games are the ones that points need to be gained on to primarily take points from surrounding teams and give us the highest chance of finishing 2nd. With Wednesday unbeaten since October and having the best defence in the league racking up an impressive 21 clean sheets, if any team is to bring there reign to a hault, surely it’s us!

Barnsley Vs Derby: Match Review 🗞️

With what has seemed to be one of the best weekends for the Reds after seeing off play-off rivals Derby County in a 4-1 thrashing to partner top 6 chasers, Wycombe Wanderers losing 2-0 to strong Shrewsbury Town side away from home, the lads sit comfortably in 5th place going 6 points clear of 7th with a handful of games in-hand over the neighbouring sides.

Devante Goal and Philips

After going through an 11 game goal drought in the league, Cole was quick to bounce back on saturday having bagged a brace past Joe Wildsmith and proving once again that there is a player inside of the poor performances over the weeks. The Barnsley fans have questioned their attacking outlets this season due to a large majority of the goals scored coming from elsewhere on the pitch, but after the last 2 games the Norwood and Cole partnership is once again shaping up to be the best fitting for the team keeping january signings Max Watters and Oli Shaw on the sidelines. As for Adam Philips, the former Liverpool midfielder has netted a grand total of 9 goals this season, 5 of which came from outside the box which shows just how prolific this man is even in that central role as he contributes to Barnsley having scored the most goals from outside the box (15) in the top 4 leagues in England.

Title charge imminent?

Having one of the toughest upcoming fixtures seen in the entire league, yet also coming off of one of the biggest wins of the season full of confidence, the Reds cant write off the chance of scraping that 2nd place spot or even finishing as league winners. With games against the likes of Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday just around the corner, picking up 3 points agaisnt these teams will blow the title race wide open and leave Barnsley with the fate down to them. Michael Duff will have to keep the players in a right head space in order to fight for that top 2 finish as it is no straight forward plan and will require the same performance as saturday week in week out. With players like Luke thomas returning to the pitch as well as his goalscoring wonders we can see just how much depth we have that still obtain the right talent and fit the system just as well as the regular starters.

Sell-out audience

After 3 years, the famous “Ponty end” finally sold out for saturdays game bringing thousands more fans to Oakwell with their scarves in hand to give the boys that bit of momentum which they got from the noise of the fans. Over recent weeks the fans have seemed to grow expinentially due to the promoting on social media, but who says to stop there, this level of support will be critical if we wish to maintain our form over the hard run of fixtures to keep up the level of performance as well as securing that play-off place as a minimum.

Barnsley VS Cambridge: Match Review 🗞️

The Reds fought off relegation contenders Cambridge United in a convincing 2-0 victory thanks to an early Max Watter’s goal before being sent off… and a sublime strike from Jordan Williams to put the game in our favour in the second half!

Defensive Masterclass!

Despite the goal scoring efforts from us this afternoon we shouldn’t let the on-point defensive performance go unnoticed as the Reds keep a 9th clean sheet in the league thanks to new goalkeeping star Harry Istead who put on an amazing show for us Reds fans having made a handful of terrific saves to deny Cambridge a goal in many occasions. His chance to shine was prompted by the hamstring injury of usual starter Brad Collins in which he picked up in the last game, but yet to worry as we appear to be in safe hands with Istead between the sticks. Bobby Thomas however continues to shine in our defensive back line and is shaping up to be one of the signings of the season for us due to his impeccable Ariel ability winning almost header that came his way and also looking composed on the ball at all times. The addition of Thomas shows again that the defence being as solidified as it is allows the midfield and attack to be more free and adventurous when attacking.

Max sees Red…

After an early yet comfortable first goal for the club by Max Watters to put the Reds 1-0 up in the 8th minute, just within half an hour he is shown a straight red card by referee Ross Joyce for violent conduct as the striker apparently went into a challenge with Cambridge defender Lloyd Jones with his elbow raised which was enough for him to be sent for an early bath. With just 10 men and a full half of football still be played, the game seemed to have opened up to Cambridge as they applied the pressure and endured a large spell of possession as the first half came to a close, yet the Reds held on superbly. Manager, Michael Duff bravely subbed on James Norwood in the second half for defensive-minded player Nicky Cadden resulting in the 5 at the back changing to a 4 at the back which ultimately was the right move for the reds as instead of sitting back all game and inviting the pressure, we remained on the front foot and found the second goal we needed to put the game to bed.

Atmosphere 👏🏻

As well as the on pitch performance in todays affair, the Red’s fans today were amazing and were behind the boys from the first minute. This comes after a recent Q&A with Michael Duff who said “If we can get the place bouncing, it gives the players a lift” and that it certainly did. The fans gave the boys a real boost with the noise created today which will be needed in weeks to come due to the upcoming run of fixtures, which will no doubt put the reds to the ultimate test to find out if we really are play-off material. With games against high-fliers Derby, Plymouth and Ipswich creeping up on us quicker than it seems, it is crucial that the atmosphere from today is replicated week in week out to give us the highest chance of coming out on top and solidifying our position within the top 6.

Red’s Officiating Controversy!

After Saturday’s meeting between the Reds and Portsmouth, Fans uproar against the officiating regarding the reds over the course of the season.

Going into the game, the Reds have already been riddled with a poor form regarding penalties conceded having conceded 3 penalties in our 4 games in January 2023. This obviously goes without saying that the Reds have been hard done by as penalties being awarded to the Reds is something the fans haven’t seen in almost a year as it has been a staggering 331 days since the reds were last awarded a penalty (Vs Fulham 12/3/22). Obviously due to these circumstances us as fans feel that we are constantly under the officiating of a poor ability and it may have reached a stage where it is more than just poor officiating and more serious action needs to be taken by the EFL.

On to Saturday, as if we haven’t already been hard done by the Reds scored through a superb Devante Cold strike from just outside the box, however referee Andy Woolmer blew his whistle a second before to award a free-kick to the reds prior to this yet not playing a single second of advantage which would’ve ultimately resulted in a goal for the Reds. This was not taken lightly as expected after the match with manager Michael Duff apparently reporting the referee to the EFL. With fans expressing their anger all over social media about the recent decision by the referee, football fans all over the country have shown their opinion on the officiating as well ( even Portsmouth fans ).

Manager, Michael Duff said during an interview just after the game that “We scored a good goal that’s bizarrely disallowed but we kept on going right til the end and showed a real fighting spirit”. Which as mentioned before led to Duff reporting the official to the EFL. One Portsmouth fan said on Twitter “ That decision was awful but one among many. The FA need to look into the standards of officials in league 1 and 2”. Showing again that football club fan bases are coming together recently to oppose the shocking officials that we have overseeing our games and how they are ruining the football for not only the players but more so the fans.

Barnsley Vs Portsmouth: Match Preview 🔴🗞️

With the Reds sat what seems comfortably in 6th place with a hefty 5 point gap over play-off contention rivals Peterborough, not to mention the 2 games we have in hand. We travel down to the south coast to play Portsmouth in what will no doubt be a very eventful affair!

Recent Form

The reds have endured an underwhelming January as we have been fought off by the likes off play-off rivals Bolton suffering a dreary defeat at home before losing again only a week after to Charlton Athletic down at The Valley 2-0 in a pragmatic fashion. However, in recent weeks the Tykes have gathered form again after back-to-back victories against Accrington Stanley and Oxford United, scoring a total of 5 goals between both games. New starlet Bobby Thomas has impressed reds fans as in just two games the central defender has 2 goal contributions to his name whilst also putting in 2 solid defensive performances and gelling with his defensive colleagues in a rapid succession. As for Portsmouth, the blues find themselves fluctuating in and out of the top half of the table having relied on their main man Colby Bishop up top supplying them with an impressive 11 goals in league 1 this season. Recently though Portsmouth were defeated away at home by the Posh ( Peterborough United ) 2-1 thanks to the likes of Johnson Clarke-Harris scoring a brace within the first half, yet their only goal came from a Peterborough player themselves. Pompey will no doubt be on there way to their previous winning form as prior to their last match they defeated Exeter and Fleetwood in an impressive style showing that they are more than capable to supply that finishing touch.

Injury and suspensions

With central midfielder Matty Wolfe set to be out until the end of the season at least with a ruptured ACL, alongside the likes of Josh benson still out and Luke Thomas only just regaining match fitness, more and more pressure will be piled onto that Red’s midfield trio mainly consisting of Philips,Kane and Connell which has proved effective this season but yet again it relies on them all keeping fit and preventing injury, however new signing Jonathon Russell from Huddersfield Town gives us more dynamic options within the midfield three. As for Portsmouth, Winger Jayden Reid is still sidelined with a long term knee injury which will see him out what still could be months, as well as highly-rated midfielder Joe Morrell accumulating 4 yellow cards meaning his next will see him suspended which could open the door of resting him to manager John Mousinho which will most definitely be a positive for Barnsley fans.

Transfer Roundup

Both sides have most definitely strengthened on deadline day ( some more than others ), meaning within the game we will no doubt see some new faces within the squad such as new striker Oli Shaw from Kilmarnock and also the previously mentioned Jonathon Russell. Portsmouth have also strengthened their squad significantly by adding the likes of former Fleetwood man Paddy Lane who had captured the eye of many championship clubs after his very impressive campaign so far. Another key signing for Portsmouth is Di’shon Bernard from Premier League side Manchester United which brings more pace and flexibility to that Portsmouth defence which we will have to look out for.