An alphabetic review of the season.

A FOR AVERAGE

Barnsley’s aim this season was to finish in the top six for the third year in a row, but they have missed that target by 17 points.

The Reds do not have the biggest budget in the division but, if the league table was laid out just in terms of resources, they would likely be a lot higher than their 12th-placed finish.

There has been an underperformance in every major footballing department this season – recruitment, head coach and players in general – which has combined to leave the club in their lowest finishing position on the football pyramid since 2005. They collected 15 fewer points than last season, and finished closer to the bottom four than top six.

It seemed clear within a few weeks of the start of the season that they were a long way off being one of the better sides in the division and, despite a few brief spells of winning form and some good moments mainly on the road, it has been a deeply frustrating and disappointing campaign for all involved.

The Reds have either been in promotion or relegation fights for eight seasons since 2017 but this was a trudge to mediocrity.

The big question is: was it just a one-off blip or part of a sad decline into a club that will be mired in mid-table in League One, or even lower, for the foreseeable future?

The long-term slump in results, especially the chronically bad home form, suggests the former but the Reds have a history of dramatic changes in fortune so will be hoping for another in the right direction this summer.

The club is losing millions a year and sales will have to be made in the summer, with a lot of fans starting to spend their Saturdays elsewhere.

The excellent win at Reading at least added a silver lining and the prospect of sweeping changes under the legendary player Conor Hourihane will excite many.

B FOR BOSS (AT FIRST)

Darrell Clarke was appointed on May 23 and lasted until the following March, taking charge of 36 league games and collecting 52 points.

An authentic and well-liked person at the club, he took over a team who had finished the previous season very badly then lost six of their top seven appearance-makers.

But he could not solve the big issues such as home form, defensive lapses and inability to see out wins, while they were far more inconsistent under him than his predecessors. It was never totally clear exactly what kind of team Clarke wanted his Reds to be.

Decisions such as using four centre-backs across the back four in multiple games, playing Donovan Pines on the right of a back three at Wycombe, the destabilising half-time changes at Stevenage and the diamond midfield at Stockport made him look like a coach badly struggling for answers.

After gradually improving performances late in 2024, with not always the results they warranted, the Reds imploded in January and took a point from six games, after which his days were always numbered and the goal of top six nearly impossible.

He was clearly let down by the recruiters at the club and many of his players who did not perform well enough consistently, but he never quite seemed the right fit.

He has now returned to his former club Bristol Rovers after they were relegated into League Two.

C FOR CONOR HOURIHANE

The legendary former player, who returned as a player/coach under Clarke then took over from him, has won two of ten games as interim and then permanent head coach combined.

He has taken nine points while his Reds have conceded 22 goals.

Under him, the gap to sixth grew from eight points to 17 but that is likely to be just as much about the players’ lack of motivation and confidence, with promotion disappearing over the horizon, as his coaching abilities.

There have been some very good performances like the thrashing of Bolton, days before he was given the permanent job, and the final day win at Reading. But there have also been several awful games like losing a 3-1 lead at Leyton Orient and being beaten at home to bottom club Shrewsbury.

It has been about more than just results – and all the evidence is he has improved the culture and mood behind the scenes, while enforcing better discipline and blooding youngsters successfully.

Hourihane also plays the type of football the Reds board want and they apparently are giving him a much more powerful role than some of his predecessors to alter the coaching staff and playing squad. He is clearly extremely driven and a deep-thinker on the game, while he commands respect from players.

It is fair to say no other coach could have his record in the job so far and receive such little backlash, but no other coaches have lifted two trophies at Wembley with the Reds then played in the Premier League. He has earned some leeway, and has been promised patience from those above, but another difficult season will test fans’ patience even with one of their favourites. There is a crucial summer ahead for his young career but there is an opportunity to launch a fresh and exciting era.

D FOR DEFENCE

The Reds conceded 90 goals in all competitions this season.

Seventeen of those were in the cups, including seven at Manchester United, and eight in the EFL Trophy with youth teams, but the 73 they let in in the league was the sixth most in the division and the same as when they finished bottom of the Championship in 2021/22.

They have not conceded as many goals in the third tier since 1965.

The Reds only kept six clean sheets which is the second lowest number in the division.

They were against Rotherham, twice, Crawley, twice, Shrewsbury and Burton.

Almost every defensive-minded player has dropped several crucial clangers which have led to goals while there is often a collective lack of defensive organisation and solidity throughout the team. A centre-back with more pace and athleticism could make a difference but concentration and focus also seem to be massive issues.

Kacper Lopata and Jack Shepherd have impressed on loan and are still contracted.

E FOR EARLY BATH

Barnsley had six players sent off this season in all competitions.

Mael de Gevigney was dismissed twice late in the campaign, including on three minutes at Birmingham, after Adam Phillips had received two yellow cards at home to the Blues and Marc Roberts lunged in at Wycombe then apologised to his team-mates.

There were two red cards in the EFL Trophy, with Corey O’Keeffe elbowing a Manchester United under 21 and Donovan Pines committing a last man foul at Huddersfield.

It is the most since 2001/02.

F FOR FORM

In the second half of the season, the Reds took 25 points from 23 games – and that is including two straight wins after the midway point at home to Wrexham then Crawley to provide a false dawn at the start of 2025.

Across 20 matches and four months, before the win at Reading, they collected 16 points which would put them in the relegation zone in the form table in that time. Three of the four wins in that rotten run were consecutive under Darrell Clarke, separating a spell of one point from six and then one win in 11. On January 4, they were fifth – eight points ahead of Charlton and 12 clear of Blackpool, but those clubs finished 24 and six points above them respectively.

It is only natural to worry about what will happen if that kind of form continues into next season, but key figures at the club are confident of a transformative summer to stop the rot and the Reading win provides some hope.

The Reds were not the only club to falter.

Big-spending Huddersfield took 18 points in the second half of the season – the third lowest.

G FOR GOING LONG

According the trusted statistics website Whoscored.com, Barnsley played 1,435 long balls this season.

That is the second most in League One, just three behind Blackpool. It didn’t particularly feel like that sort of season as the Reds were not the classic ‘long ball’ team – mainly because they generally lacked any kind of clear style or identity for most of the campaign.

They were also the second least fouled team in the division.

H FOR HOME RECORD

Barnsley finished with a home record of six wins, eight draws and nine defeats from their 23 games, giving them a points total of 26 which is the 21st best in the division. It is the lowest total in their history in the third tier.

They conceded 36 goals at home which was the second most in the division and no side kept fewer home clean sheets than their three.

The dire defeat to bottom club Shrewsbury – who had not won in 15 – last week and the grim ‘lap of honour’ to a soundtrack of boos and ocean of empty seats was the fitting end to a truly awful season at Oakwell. Given the away form is significantly better, there has clearly been a psychological issue at Oakwell which must be fixed as one of the main priorities for Hourihane’s ‘reset’.

Season ticket sales could drop by thousands this summer with crowds potentially well down on the average of 12,211 this season.

That number counts all season ticket holders, despite many often not attending.

I FOR INJURIES

The Reds have not been hit as hard as some clubs by injuries but, after being relatively unscathed for most of the season, there was a pile-up early in 2025 which partly contributed to the dreadful loss of form which cost Darrell Clarke his job.

Missing almost ever-present defenders such as Josh Earl and Marc Roberts was a blow, while they were unlucky with a series of goalkeeper issues, plus players like Josh Benson, Max Watters and Fabio Jalo have struggled to stay fit.

J FOR JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW

The winter window did not go well for Barnsley.

It was a tough window to recruit in especially up front for all clubs – as shown by promotion-chasing Stockport County signing Barnsley outcast Sam Cosgrove – but the Reds failed abjectly.

They desperately needed to improve their striker options, which was their key target area, but brought in Clement Rodrigues (pictured, left) from the French second tier who did not look ready for League One and has barely featured.

They recruited at right wing-back, a position they looked well-stocked in, with Dexter Lembikisa replacing the loaned-out Kyran Lofthouse and producing a series of alarming substitute appearances before improving recently.

Joe Gauci and Neil Farrugia showed some promise but soon picked up injuries. They dipped into the free agent market for USA international Jon Lewis but he has also struggled with injury and barely featured under Hourihane when fit.

The lack of successful business in the window seemed to add to the malaise around the club due to poor form and it was immediately clear in the games in early February that they had not strengthened anywhere near enough to push for promotion.

The five players brought in during the winter window, including Lewis, made 18 starts between them with one goal. None of them have played more minutes than academy products Jonathan Bland and Kieren Flavell who had only made their debuts in March.

The Reds did not sell a first team player for the sixth successive January window.

K FOR KEEPERS

The Reds have used five goalkeepers this season, equalling a club record.

Ben Killip played the first match but was immediately dropped for Chelsea loanee Gaga Slonina who started the next 11 in the league but made increasingly frequent errors and was dropped for Killip in October.

Killip generally impressed for the next three months before again being replaced – then sold to Portsmouth – by Aston Villa loanee Joe Gauci who soon got injured as did third choice stopper Jackson Smith. Academy product Kieren Flavell played seven games before Gauci returned in the final weeks. Slonina kept one clean sheet in the league, Killip three and Gauci two, although the second saw him replaced at Rotherham by Smith due to injury.

L FOR LATE GOALS

The Reds conceded 25 goals after 75 minutes in league games this season – the most in English professional football. They lost the most points in the division in that period with 15.

While they only conceded 17 goals in the first halves of games, they shipped a club record 56 after the break which is the most in English football.

In the league table for first half points, they are third but, for second halves, they are 15th.

The Reds dropped 22 points from winning positions.

They lacked the experience, focus and savviness to see games out, while substitutes sometimes cost them as their weak squad was exposed, and it also suggests a lack of fitness.

M FOR MAGIC MOMENTS

Although the season has been disappointing overall, the Reds have scored some excellent goals. Goal of the Season was officially given to Jon Russell’s superb curler against Peterborough last month following a backheel by Davis Keillor-Dunn.

But both players scored a series of other fine goals, often running a long way before netting from distance. Stephen Humphrys netted a wonderful goal with a run from his own half at Cambridge, Luca Connell fired in a marvellous free-kick at Burton and Kelechi Nwakali hit a scorcher from distance at Exeter. Only Birmingham scored more goals from outside the box.

N FOR NORTHAMPTON

Barnsley were on a four-game winning run and due to play at struggling Northampton when the match at Sixfields was called off due to a frozen pitch in January.

That was immediately followed by the crippling run of one point from six games, starting with a loss at Bristol Rovers in which they created multiple chances but could not score.

There were far more factors than not playing that game – and they did win the rearranged fixture – but it seemed to stunt their momentum just at the wrong time.

O FOR ON THE ROAD

As well as Davis Keillor-Dunn, the other main reason Barnsley finished in the top half of the table was their eight away wins by New Year’s Eve.

At one point, no side in England had more league wins on the road and they were on course to break the club record of 12 which they equalled last season.

But, having won 15 times on their travels in 2024 in league games – a club record – they have only done so on three occasions this year.

They finished with the seventh best away record in the division – with 11 wins, two draws and ten losses.

The away form will need to be strong again next season because the home form feels as though it will take a long time to fully resolve.

P FOR PINK KIT

For the second successive season, one of the Reds’ kits caused a stir.

After the controversial star-spangled home strip the previous campaign, their third kit this time was head to toe luminous pink.

The first three games in which they wore it saw them go in 0-0 at half-time then concede seven combined after the break without netting – in defeats at Stevenage then twice at Huddersfield in league and cup. They then wore it in two 1-1 draws, scoring two of their best goals of the season – Stephen Humphrys’ phenomenal run from the halfway line at Cambridge in November and Davis Keillor-Dunn’s outstanding long-range free-kick at Wigan. They also beat Reading in it on Saturday.

The kit has been sponsored by Breast Cancer UK then local charity Matthew’s A Friend in Me.

Q FOR QUESTIONS

There are plenty of questions for the club going forward.

Was this just a poor season or a downward spiral that will continue?

Who will be sold in the summer and can they be adequately replaced on a tight budget?

How long will the owners have the appetite to lose £8-10million a year while staying in the third tier and being criticised, sometimes rightly, by supporters?

Which players will survive the ‘reset’ under Conor Hourihane and how successful will it be?

Clearly there is scrutiny on the likes of sporting director Mladen Sormaz and chairman Neerav Parekh going into what feels like an important season for the future of the club.

R FOR RECRUITMENT

Recruitment used to be a real strength of Barnsley’s but it is starting to let them down.

Last summer was not that much better than the disastrous January window.

Davis Keillor-Dunn has been a fantastic signing and definitely worth the comparatively large fee spent on him.

Marc Roberts and Stephen Humphrys are the next best while Kelechi Nwakali and Georgie Gent have shown glimpses but have been in and out. The two young Premier League loans were sent back in January, while Conor Hourihane retired after two appearances.

One definite triumph out of 15 signings in two windows is poor to say the least.

Hourihane looks set to have a far bigger say on transfers moving forward.

S FOR SET PIECES

Barnsley had equalled the number of set piece goals they scored last season by January.

Credit for that was given mainly to coach Conor Hourihane as he worked on dead ball situations with the players in training.

They scored clever set piece goals against Bolton, twice, and Peterborough, while they created the most chances in the division from corners and the second most from throw-ins.

But you could argue they should have been dangerous from set pieces with giants such as Josh Earl, Donovan Pines, Marc Roberts and – until January – Sam Cosgrove in the squad.

Their set piece prowess dipped in recent months and they concede some poor goals from them. They finished with 18 set piece goals, the ninth most in the division.

T FOR TROPHY

Barnsley’s campaign in the EFL Trophy was a miserable one. They lost a 2-0 lead on 83 minutes in a 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United under 21s then went out with a defeat at Huddersfield before just over 1,000 saw them lose a dead rubber to Doncaster.

The highlight was Martin Devaney coaching against his son Jacob who played for United.

Cups in general were tough for the Reds this season. Although an excellent win over Sheffield United earned an EFL Cup visit to Manchester United, they were thrashed 7-0 with Darrell Clarke furious about the performance.

They missed out on the FA Cup third round when they lost on penalties at home to Bristol Rovers, during a week in which they had 70 shots at home in three games but scored just twice and did not win any of them.

U FOR UP FRONT

While the amount of errors at the back has become the dominant narrative towards the end of the season, Barnsley’s lack of cutting edge up front was a much talked about issue during Clarke’s tenure.

Although they scored 69 goals – more than Wrexham and Charlton – and they have some individual good stories in that regard, they often missed very good chances and could not capitalise when on top in games.

Clarke said pre-season that a promotion side needs 40 goals from its strikers collectively.

Barnsley’s front men finished on 36 – mainly due to Davis Keillor-Dunn netting 18.

Opinion-splitting duo Max Watters and Stephen Humphrys have fallen short of double figures while Fabio Jalo has not had the hoped-for breakthrough season and Sam Cosgrove was a disaster then jettisoned in January, with Clement Rodrigues coming in and making little impact.

The Reds had the second most shots in the division but, although they took the most from outside the box, they had the ninth most inside the area and 11th most in the six-yard box.

V FOR VIKTOR EDVARDSEN

A picture emerged online of the Swedish striker undergoing a medical at Oakwell late in the summer window.

But, even as the image was circulating, he was pulling out of the deal due to personal circumstances. He apologised on social media, and has since netted eight goals in the Dutch top flight for Go Ahead Eagles.

W FOR WOMEN

Barnsley FC women have consolidated in the fourth tier of English football following back to back promotions.

After a tough first half of the season, they eventually finished eighth, six clear of the drop zone.

They beat their namesakes Barnsley Women’s FC in the League Cup then reached the Sheffield Cup quarter-final.

X FOR XG

Expected goals is always a disputed concept, with old school football fans preferring to judge with their eyes rather than the stats that some rely on.

This was heightened when Barnsley chairman Neerav Parekh said that the often profligate Max Watters had the best xG in the division, which was true on some metrics earlier in the season but not at the time of the interview.

Barnsley, as a team, have an xG difference of plus four, the fifth highest in the division.

Davis Keillor-Dunn has massively outperformed his xG, with a series of high-difficulty goals outweighing some glaring close-range misses particularly early in the season.

Only Peterborough’s Kwame Poku is above him in that stats table. Jon Russell is fifth.

Y FOR YOUNGSTERS

It has been a good season for players from the Oakwell academy making debuts for the first team.

Partly that is because the season has been over in terms of promotion for the last couple of months so there has been space to blood youngsters under Hourihane with nothing to play for.

Kieren Flavell, who has been at the club for 13 years, had a spell in goal while Jonathan Bland and Fabio Jalo also made their first league starts.

Luke Alker and Callum West played in the EFL Trophy while the first side picked in that competition included a 15-year-old Oliver Wilkinson who broke a club record for the youngest starter and has captained England under 16s this season.

Kieran Graham came on at Reading with fellow teenager Luke Alker an unused substitute.

Vimal Yoganathan was involved with the first team before impressing on loan at Oldham.

Z FOR ZIGGY, JOSIAH AND BAYLEY

Several sons of popular Barnsley players have made debuts for the Reds this season.

Ziggy Kozluk, son of Rob, made his debut in the EFL Trophy at Huddersfield while Bruce Dyer’s son Josiah came off the bench in the league against the same opponents.

Bayley McCann faced his father’s side Doncaster in the trophy then made his league debut in Clarke’s last game at home to Blackpool in March. Antony Kay’s son Arley has also played for the under 18s this season as has Martin Devaney’s son Joel.