Analysis of Barnsley's 3-1 home loss to Stockport on the final day of the season. Adam Phillips cancelled out a first half goal but the visitors scored twice more.
CONOR SAYS GOODBYE AFTER TOUGH SEASON ENDS
THE FINAL game of Conor Hourihane’s first spell at Barnsley saw him score a superb free-kick in a win over Leeds when the Reds were on the brink of the Championship play-offs. Nearly a decade later, his second stint concluded with a 3-1 defeat to Stockport which left them 15th in League One - the worst finish since 2002/03 and a fifth successive lower position than the previous campaign.
The head coach - who had announced a mutual exit two weeks earlier - was warmly applauded by most fans before and after the game, walking around the pitch with his daughters to clap those who stayed behind.
Although fans still respect him for his playing career and his love for the club, it has not worked out - with some good moments overshadowed by chronic inconsistency and an ability to defend.
It is far from just his fault and we must hope that the club does not suffer as badly as it did after his previous exit, with many other key departures then relegation the following year.
The Reds conceded 99 goals in all competitions, which is the most since 1964/65, and 73 in the league with only bottom club Northampton shipping more, while their four league clean sheets was the joint fewest in English professional football.
They kept just one clean sheet at home and – while they did collect seven more points than last season’s pitiful tally of 26 – they conceded the most goals in the division on their own soil and finished with a six-game winlesss run at Oakwell.
In each of the last three seasons, Barnsley have won just two of the last 12 games.
REDS GOOD IN SPELLS BUT SLOPPY AS USUAL
Barnsley were playing their ninth game in 29 days with a lot of emotional baggage in that time during Hourihane’s exit, while top-scorer David McGoldrick was not involved due to injury. The goals they let in came from two bad individual errors and a controversial penalty.
The visitors were far higher in the table and had much more to play for with a point needed for the play-offs.
The Reds were poor in the first 25 minutes, regularly losing the ball as they tried to pass out from the back. They improved after conceding the opener then started the second half strongly, with the crowd behind them, and levelled. But scorer Adam Phillips soon came off with a head injury during a scrappy stop-start spell which halted their momentum. The visitors were awarded a spot-kick out of nowhere then struck again during 11 added minutes.
Barnsley had some decent spells of pressure but continued to gift Stockport chances with poor passing.
County had eight first team players out injured with Kyle Wootton, the league’s second top-scorer, having to play at centre-back.
POOR ERRORS FOR GOALS
Two players given minutes in recent games for very different reasons made crucial errors for Stockport goals.
Kieren Flavell made the mistake for the opening goal – dropping a simple left-wing catch from an Oliver Norwood cross for Adamah Sidibeh to tap in almost on the line from the last of five corners in about two minutes.
It will be a painful one for the homegrown goalkeeper to dwell on over the summer but, in truth, several of his team-mates could easily have given away the opener. Jono Bland, Eoghan O’Connell and Josh Earl all passed straight to visiting players and Mael de Gevigney was robbed of the ball on the left wing – but Stockport were not clinical.
The third goal deep in injury-time saw Kelechi Nwakali lose the ball after a Barnsley corner then Odin Bailey played in Benony Andresson who ran from halfway to beat Flavell who stood motionless in his box as the attacker approached.
Nwakali has been playing recently as – after being frozen out by Hourihane all season – the club wanted him to get some minutes. Unsurprisingly he has looked badly off the pace and, despite his superb passing ability which he displayed in this game, the lack of off-the-ball discipline lets him down in the rough and tumble of League One. He was also at fault for Luton’s winner a week earlier.
Scott Banks did almost exactly the same as Nwakali minutes earlier but Stockport could not punish them with poor passing.
Hourihane also brought Marc Roberts on for potentially a final outing as his focus was clearly not just on the result unlike counterpart Dave Challinor. Overall, it was
a patched-up Barnsley team of non-regulars, youngsters and nostalgia picks.
SOFT PENALTY GIVES STOCKPORT LEAD
The match looked to be drifting towards a 1-1 draw in the 70th minute when Eoghan O’Connell challenged Josh Stokes on the right of the Reds box. The home player had got the ball but referee Seb Stockbridge surprisingly pointed to the spot for a very soft penalty.
The official previously sent off Mads Andersen wrongly against Bolton in 2023 and missed a clear red card for Wigan’s Jason Kerr for a rugby tackle on Stephen Humphrys late last season.
It was a ninth penalty conceded and scored against the Reds this season, as Hourihane’s former Sheffield United team-mate Oliver Norwood found the bottom left corner past the outstretched Flavell.
Earl seemed to get away with a clearer foul in the box later on on Andresson but that was when the Reds were pushing for a leveller so left gaps at the back.
PHILLIPS NETS BUT FORCED OFF
Phillips netted his 11th goal of the season in all competitions. He headed in on the line from a cross by Corey O’Keeffe - who spent the first half of the season at Stockport - seconds after his header from a Luca Connell free-kick was brilliantly saved by ex-Red Corey Addai.
Phillips - who replaced McGoldrick in the 11 - was probably Barnsley’s best player but was forced off not long after scoring with a possible concussion and the Reds lost a lot of their threat.
Connell had a strong game, completing 92 per cent of his passes and creating chances. He grew into a midfield battle after Stockport’s Oliver Norwood and Bailey dominated early on.
Reyes Cleary was a threat throughout on the left but missed some chances and should have stayed onside when crossing for Tom Bradshaw to score a ruled-out goal after Phillips won the ball from Wootton high up the pitch at 1-0. Bradshaw had a quiet game overall as did Patrick Kelly and Jono Bland.
