MARTIN Devaney admits it will be strange coming up against Barnsley as an opposition coach but is grateful for his ‘unbelievable’ 18 years as a player and coach at Oakwell.
Devaney played for the Reds for six years, making 176 appearances, then returned as a coach for more than a decade – working his way up from the academy set-up to assistant first team coach and twice caretaker manager.
He left the club by mutual consent at the end of last season and has now joined their League One rivals Port Vale as assistant.
Devaney, who still lives in Penistone, told the Chronicle: “I’m not going to say ‘it’s just football’ because it will be odd being in the away dugout at Oakwell.
“Barnsley has been close to my heart, I had 18 years there.
“I live there and it’s my home now.
“My sons were born and brought up there.
“The club has given me so many opportunities, and allowed me to develop.
“I was with the 18s, 23s, head of coaching, first team coach, assistant manager then took the team as head coach in the play-offs. It’s been unbelievable and it’s a club I will always love.
“I have met some great people at the club and the fans are special – they have always been brilliant with me.
“I have worked with a lot of players and developed them. I am really proud of what I achieved at the club.
“It was just time for me to move on this year and I wish the club all the best.”
Devaney has now linked up with newly-promoted Vale boss Darren Moore who was his Barnsley team-mate for two years from 2008 to 2010.
“I’m really pleased. Mooro is a fantastic person. I had already had a few phonecalls from one or two clubs but, when Mooro rang me, I couldn’t wait to meet up and have a chat.
“I had two years playing with him. We’ve kept in contact and I have come up against his teams as a coach.
“When he offered me the job, I was always going to take it.
“They did fantastically last year and we want to build on that. They seem a really, really good staff and group of players. Everything is positive.”
Moore was the Sheffield Wednesday manager when they beat Barnsley in the 2023 League One play-off final, with a last-gasp extra-time winner.
Devaney, who was then assistant coach to Michael Duff, said: “Mooro broke my heart that day. Getting promotion to the Championship as a coach is what I really wanted from my time at Barnsley.
“But unfortunately Sheffield Wednesday beat us.”
Duff then moved to Swansea City and later Huddersfield but Devaney stayed at Oakwell for two more years, mainly under Neill Collins and Darrell Clarke.
“Michael asked me to go with him to Swansea as assistant and Huddersfield as assistant. I didn’t go because I was loyal to Barnsley and I thought there was room to improve and progress and get promoted which I really wanted to do.”
After Collins was sacked in April last year, Devaney took charge of the final league game and the play-off semi-final as the Reds lost 3-1 at home to Bolton before almost coming back in the away leg but losing 5-4 on aggregate.
“We did really well. Managers need time, you need to get on the grass and implement your style and identity.
“I didn’t have time to do that.
“We had one game against Northampton and we got a point which was enough to get in the play-offs.
“It was a quick turnaround. I had to stick to what the players knew.
“We made two mistakes in the first leg, the penalty and the corner.
“In the away leg, people gave us no chance but we did really well. We just fell short but we showed the grit you want to see from a Barnsley team.”
As a player, Devaney helped the club into the second tier via the 2006 play-off final then famously assisted Kayode Odejayi’s winner against Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final in 2008.
“The highlights as a player would be promotion from League One and the FA Cup wins against Liverpool and Chelsea. Being in the Championship as the player I was, was always tough but we never got relegated when I was in the team and I see that as a success.
“I wish the club and the fans nothing but success moving forward.”
