CONOR Hourihane has just reached a year in charge of Barnsley and will return to Mansfield Town this weekend almost 12 months to the day since he managed his first ever game there.
The Irishman was made interim head coach on March 12 last year following the sacking of Darrell Clarke then took charge of a 2-1 loss at Field Mill three days later. It was his first managerial role – having been a coach under Clarke – and was made permanent in April.
Asked what he’d learned in the year, Hourihane told the Chronicle: “I am a little bit wiser. I know what each game needs on the tactical side of things and I know how I want my team to look because we started with a back five at Mansfield last year and now we’re always a back four.
“I have a little bit more experience but it’s still very early in my time and I am learning all the time. It’s a continuous cycle of learning, being challenged, coming through sticky patches, enjoying wins, and moulding yourself into a better experienced head coach every day.”
The Stags are 15th in League One, four points behind Barnsley – having played the same number of games – and six clear of the relegation zone.
Only leaders Lincoln and third-placed Bolton have conceded fewer goals in League One this season than Mansfield’s 37 while they have kept clean sheets in their last two league games.
They were tenth in late January after a four-match winning run which started with a victory at Oakwell.
But they then drew their next four before three straight losses then a 2-2 home draw with Wimbledon and 0-0 at lowly Rotherham last week.
A 1-0 win at home to Reading on Tuesday ended a nine-game wait for a league victory.
Mansfield had lost 2-1 on Saturday in the FA Cup at home to Premier League leaders Arsenal, having beaten another top flight side Burnley in the previous round thanks to a stunning free-kick by Barnsley man Louis Reed.
Hourihane said: “Good side.
“They make it hard for you at their place. I was victim to that this time last year my first game. The pitch will come into play because it’s not best so we will have a gameplan around that and not letting it catch us out.
“They are good at the top end of the pitch. I played with Rhys Oates, (Will) Evans is a livewire. They have good players in midfield and they are a well-oiled machine.”
Mansfield are managed by veteran boss Nigel Clough who will take on Barnsley for the 22nd time in his managerial career – facing no club more often.
So far he has won seven, drawn ten and lost four, with victories in his last four meetings with them.
In his 28-year coaching career, he has taken charge of more than 1,500 games.
Hourihane said: “Since I have come over to this side of the game as head coach, even as assistant last year, it’s relentless work and a mindset and emotional challenges along the way.
“For a manager to be putting in those type of games, is unbelievable.
“Full credit to Nigel, he’s had an unbelievable career, he’s still going strong and still very passionate when I watch his press conferences.”
Hourihane admits he will have to carefully assess the fitness levels in his squad ahead of the three games coming up this week.
“The lads have put in an unbelievable effort in the last couple of games to get a good points return. They had to be really disciplined out of possession and put in high running numbers. I am going to be asking them to have a big effort at Mansfield and these three games this week. It’s something we are going to have to be careful about because each one will be a big effort.”
The short trip to Nottinghamshire is Barnsley’s only away game in a run of six matches which sees them play five times at Oakwell.
They ended an eight-game wait for an away league win at Leyton Orient in their last game on the road.
Hourihane said: “It was nice to get the win against Leyton Orient so we could put to bed a little bit people talking about our away form, which hasn’t been good enough over the course of the season. To get that win settled down that topic a little bit. If we have an away win on Saturday that will be crucial then we have back-to-back home games which will be really positive for us.”
The clubs have met 38 times with Barnsley winning 14 and losing 13, including the last three.
Mansfield did the double over the Reds last season. They won 2-1 on the first day of the campaign at Oakwell – with Hourihane playing the penultimate game of his career.
This season, Barnsley went 2-0 up on Boxing Day after 13 minutes thanks to goals by Reyes Cleary and Davis Keillor-Dunn but a Reed penalty, for a Cleary handball, got the visitors back in it then Stephen McLaughlin and Aaron Lewis won it.
Mansfield have several former Barnsley players.
Liam Roberts – who spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Oakwell – has been a regular in goal while striker Victor Adeboyejo, who spent five years at Barnsley before leaving in 2022, signed from Bolton in January and is yet to score in 13 games.
They also have former Barnsley academy graduates Oates, who is their joint top-scorer this season, and George Maris who has been out injured.
Jon Russell is on loan from Barnsley so cannot play.
