THE FIXTURE release and return of players for pre-season are often on the same week and suddenly remind us that the new campaign is just around the corner.

As the Reds hope to start adding to their squad in the coming days following some high-profile departures, this week has made the 2026/27 season feel a lot more real.

Thursday’s fixture release confirmed they would start the league campaign with their first ever meeting against Bromley then visit near neighbours Doncaster Rovers.

Other notable games are a Tuesday night clash with Blackpool on transfer deadline day, September 1, a journey to Devon to play Plymouth the following week, a Tuesday night trip to Blackpool in February and what is now becoming a traditional early April visit to Burton Albion.

There are also plenty of Yorkshire derbies peppered throughout.

Before then, they will aim to bulk out a thin-looking squad with signings expected in the coming days.

Last week saw the sales of Adam Phillips and Jackson Smith plus David McGoldrick’s exit having turned down a new deal.

They may not be the only departures this summer with the futures of Luca Connell, Reyes Cleary and Patrick Kelly unclear plus other fringe players are likely to be moved on.

There is a 45-goal gap in last season’s squad after the departures of Davis Keillor-Dunn, in January, then Phillips and McGoldrick – a proven trio who are Barnsley’s last three Player of the Year winners.

They are also very experienced players, with Barnsley’s oldest now being Corey O’Keeffe and Kelechi Nwakali who both turned 28 on the same day earlier this month.

Eoghan O’Connell will not return, lowering the average age further.

It is slightly reminiscent of the summer of 2024 when six of the top seven appearance-makers, including many of the best players, left the club and a more frugal Reds went from two play-off campaigns to two mid-table finishes. This time they have made some money from those player exits rather than them leaving at the end of their contracts like two years ago and they will certainly hope to do better business than in the disastrous windows during the 2024/25 season.

If that doesn’t happen soon, it could start to look worryingly similar to the summer of 2019 when Daniel Stendel lost a series of the best players from his promotion squad and their replacements were painfully young.

Clearly the overall philosophy is to go younger again, and that worked spectacularly previously with the 2016 and 2019 promotion squads all 27 or younger. A team of many exceptional young players is something most fans would get behind.

But, no longer being one of the big draws in the third tier, the Reds do not have their pick of proven young talent so some experienced heads may be needed for a more balanced and successful team.

While the performance of Daniel Stendel – if he can cope with a weaker squad and more tumultuous summer than when he arrived in 2018 – plus a much-changed coaching and playing staff will be pivotal, the success of the upcoming season mainly rests on recruitment. The number of new signings may well be in double figures and the majority have to be successful.

They surely need a goalkeeper, right-back, centre-back, left-back, winger and three forwards to have two senior players in each position for Stendel’s usual formations of 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1.

The good news is there is plenty of time left in the transfer window but they will have to start filling gaps soon.