After ten League One matches, Barnsley have a solid 17 points but late goals and lack of depth are big issues

POINTS TALLY AT THIS STAGE ONE OF HEALTHIEST IN RECENT YEARS

AFTER ten games in their previous four League One seasons, the Reds had 15 points under Darrell Clarke, 16 under Neill Collins, 17 with Michael Duff and, a few years earlier, 19 with Daniel Stendel.

The first ten games of this season under Conor Hourihane have brought 17.

They are slap bang in the middle of the pack in terms of what they usually have achieved at this level, and it is a points total that could be used as a platform for a promotion push.

The Stendel season is the only time they had more than 17 points after ten games since they reached the Premiership in 1996/97.

They are ninth, two points off the play-off places, with a game in hand on the majority of teams around them. The points have been collected in a top-heavy way, 16 in the first seven games then one from the last three against sides who were in the bottom five.

It was only a few weeks ago that we were looking back through the records for best starts to a season and wondering whether predictions of another mid-table finish were woefully pessimistic.

This was always going to be a season of twists and turns, smooth patches and sticky spells. Hourihane is learning on the job in his first full campaign, changing the formation and the style of play, blooding some academy players and clearly the 34-year-old did not get the strength in depth he needed in certain areas in the transfer window.

Like any manager, there will be selections, substitutions and tactical choices which he might redo if he had his time again.

But he is having to manage a strange squad with plenty of ability but very little proven depth.

They have not had a fit senior striker on the bench all season which is mind-boggling and a black mark against the recruiters at the club who brought in some good players this summer but more back-up was needed. No substitute has scored or assisted a goal for Barnsley so far this season.

A bad three-game league run can happen to any team. But when you add in the two cup defeats in different circumstances, and some very poor performances followed by a better display in Wycombe but an inexplicable draw after being 2-0 up on 88 minutes, it feels like there are real problems to solve going into the international break.

They are conceding too many goals, especially late on with seven shipped after 86 minutes in a fortnight. There is a fragility and softness there which is hampering them badly.

IMPROVEMENTS IN SOME AREAS THIS SEASON BUT NOT IN OTHERS

If we go through the check list of what Barnsley needed to improve on this season, it is a mixed report card as we approach the end of the first quarter of the campaign.

They have definitely been better at home and, despite the Port Vale disappointment, they are already halfway to last season’s tally of league wins at Oakwell. In general, there has been a more positive atmosphere at home games this season.

But they have not improved their ability to keep clean sheets or see wins out, with second half collapses still a huge issue.

Hourihane promised more exciting football to ‘get fans off their seats.’ That was the case often in the opening seven games but has been seen less often in recent weeks.

Some of the performances in late September were the opposite, with Barnsley passing the ball around with little end product in a ponderous and, frankly, boring style which the Oakwell faithful in general have never enjoyed. They had become a possession-based side, who did not press as much as previously – very different to the high-energy, more direct style of play we were told had become the club’s DNA.

But the introduction of the impressive Reyes Cleary made a big difference on Saturday, when they did get after the opposition defence a lot more and in general played with increased energy. They need to build on that element of the Wycombe game over the international break while trying to recover from the farcical late comeback.

Cleary is the only real example of the fast, exciting winger Hourihane wanted to bring to the Barnsley team when switching to a four at the back and dispensing of the wing-backs used by his three predecessors.

They are unlucky that Fabio Jalo’s injury has dragged on while another player brought in in those positions late in the window would have helped significantly. They have had six shots on target in their last five games, but four were on Saturday and two went in.

Many of their goals away from home have been gifted to them, defenders turning into their own nets or passing straight to a Barnsley player around the box.

They need to find a way of creating regular chances, but at least the second goal on Saturday was the result of good play following a mistake by an opponent.

NOW A RUN OF YORKSHIRE DERBIES

The Reds now have three games against their Yorkshire neighbours back-to-back-to-back, as they go to Bradford City then host Rotherham United and visit Doncaster Rovers.

Those matches jumped off the page when the schedule was revealed in the summer but seem to have even greater significance now Barnsley are in need of nerve-steadying wins.

The fiery fixtures could either breathe new life into the Reds’ campaign or, if they do not go well, pile extra disappointment onto an already bad run.

Will Barnsley keep pace with high-flyers Bradford or sink down nearer to struggling Rotherham?

Rotherham at home in particular might be looked at by some as an absolute banker for three points given the Millers’ lowly position and their abject record against Barnsley.

DEFENCE CONTINUES TO LEAK REGULAR GOALS WITH CLEAN SHEETS VERY RARE

Barnsley’s defending has marginally improved overall this season but it was starting from a low base after the last campaign and there are still issues.

At their current rate, the Reds are on course to concede slightly fewer goals than the 73 they let in last season in the league but they have kept just one clean sheet in all competitions – the joint lowest in League One.

The return of Marc Roberts from injury which is expected at some point this month will be welcome as, although he is in the later stages of his career, he would have been screaming at his team to organise and stay alert late on at Adams Park which, from the press box, did not appear to be happening on the pitch.

After a few games in which only silly individual errors let them down, the last several have seen goals conceded due to collectively poor defending.

Josh Earl has some good attributes – he is well over six foot and can, on his day, pick out excellent passes with his left foot, while he is a likeable person who must be a positive influence in the dressing room.

But he makes too many mistakes, either losing the ball or being easily beaten by opponents – such as for the first Wycombe goal on Saturday.

He is the only outfielder to have played every minute this season while Jake Rooney has none, but the Derby loanee surely must be close to making his debut as Barnsley need to find something to eradicate these defensive errors and collapses.

Earl is certainly not the only defender to have struggled this season – and he has had some good games – but it is the repeated weaknesses that are concerning. Teams will target him and try to isolate him against any attacker with speed and trickery.