Analysis of Barnsley's 0-0 home draw with Burton Albion on Saturday.

STALEMATE COMPLETES AWFUL WEEK

AT 3PM on the Saturday before last, Barnsley were looking to consolidate their place in the top six with a third straight home win. Despite a defeat at Bristol Rovers with a good performance, the Reds had made a bright start to 2025 and some cautious positivity was starting to return to Oakwell.

Fastforward a week to 3pm this latest Saturday and it was very different. They had suffered two injury-time losses to Stevenage and Wycombe then been held 0-0 at home to lowly Burton with three disappointing performances.

They have been booed off twice at Oakwell, where their form continues to be a major issue, and slipped down to tenth - although still just a point outside the play-offs.

After 30 games in each of the last two seasons, the Reds had 56 points. This time, with Saturday’s trip to high-flying Stockport their 30th game, they are on 43.

Even if you factor in that, last season, Neill Collins’ side fell away massively from March onwards, the Reds are well off the path they have previously trodden to make the play-offs. There were chants for Collins to be sacked against Burton last April, despite being fifth and breaking records for away form, and supporter patience with Darrell Clarke may wear thin if this poor run goes on much longer.

They will need two points per game now to have a strong chance of extending their season beyond the first weekend in May for a third successive year.

That type of long-term good form has eluded them so far and they have been racked by inconsistency - one win in eight followed by four in a row and now one point in four.

They need a very strong end to the transfer window, with some transformative forwards brought in, going into tough games against two top five sides.

REDS DOMINATE BALL BUT DON’T CONVINCE

This game felt like a huge chance to end the recent run of three defeats and start a week of positivity ahead of hopefully a fruitful deadline day.

Burton had won their last three games but were still in the relegation zone. They clearly came to defend, slow the game down and pinch a win on the break.

The Reds had 69 per cent of the ball, made more than twice as many passes and had ten shots on target to Burton’s two. But, in terms of big clear-cut chances, it was pretty even as many of the Reds’ shots were from distance and fairly easily saved while Albion were gifted some golden opportunities by mistakes by a home backline that looked suspect all game.

Barnsley were better than in the last two games, this time against lesser opponents, but they did not truly convince - often lacking creativity and penetration in attack.

Midfielder Jon Russell missed a hat-trick of chances while the best opportunities fell to defenders Kyran Lofthouse and Donovan Pines.

Clarke had made five changes to the 11 and switched to 3-5-2, but did not seem to want to use his bench which was full of off-form players he had dropped and some expected to leave this window plus untested teen Josiah Dyer. He left three changes unmade in a sign of a lopsided squad he clearly is not happy with.

BOOS FOR CHANGE AND AT END

The Reds have now won four out of 15 home league games, collecting 18 points.

After beating Wrexham and Crawley, they have failed to score against Stevenage and Burton - taking just a point - and the home fans booed at full-time in both games.

There were also boos when Darrell Clarke took off Kelechi Nwakali for captain Luca Connell, who had been benched, on 86 minutes. Nwakali had completed 95 per cent of his passes and saved the Reds with a superb interception on his own goal line.

It would have been hard to imagine until recently that a decision to bring on Connell would be greeted with such animosity. Although it was mainly due to Nwakali’s withdrawal, rather than Russell who had faded, Connell has been off form recently. All the midfielders had started at least one of the week’s games on the bench as Clarke rotates. The head coach explained that he thought Nwakali was tired and did not want to take the other more attacking midfielders off, while adding energy.

But the reaction to the change just shows the simmering frustration around Oakwell at the moment.

Their next game there is against Michael Duff’s Huddersfield on February 15 - potentially a spicy derby which needs to bring out the best in them.

RARE CLEAN SHEET AND GOOD GAUCI DEBUT

The Reds kept a fifth clean sheet of the season.

Four of them have been against the bottom four - Crawley twice, Shrewsbury and Burton once - with the other against Rotherham when they were badly struggling.

Goalkeeper Joe Gauci had a promising debut, despite passing straight out of play early on. He looked confident on crosses - probably more so than predecessor Ben Killip whose dropping seemed harsh after good recent performances - and made a big save late on to deny Fabio Tavares one-on-one. The Australian was nowhere near as busy as Burton’s New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe but made probably the best save.

The defence in front of him was not as solid, in the absence of the suspended Marc Roberts. Donovan Pines and ex-Brewer Josh Earl both made big mistakes which should have been punished by goals. Pines handled the physical battle with Burton’s in-form Jon Dadi Bodvarsson quite well but did not look comfortable on the ball. He nearly scored but his effort was cleared off the line. Mael de Gevigney was better on his return from injury, both in defence and pushing forward on the attack.

MIXED BAG OF PERFORMANCES

Former Burton man Davis Keillor-Dunn was probably Barnsley’s best attacking threat, setting up several chances and missing a few himself.

A big element of the four-game winning run was his ability to find the corner on the goal from the edge of the box in nearly every game which was always unlikely to last.

Next to him in a front two, with Max Watters injured, was Stephen Humphrys.

When he scored a late winner at Burton in September, Humphrys said he would liven things up, cause carnage and that he wanted be the main striker for the Reds.

There were brief flickerings of that in the following weeks but now he is goalless in 14. He made some good passes in this game, and should have had an assist, but was not much of a goal threat then faded after the break.

Adam Phillips - back in the 11 after illness - was better than in recent games, but restricted to a trio of long-range shots which he hit very well but they were all too close to Crocombe.

The right-footed Lofthouse replaced Georgie Gent - who does not seem to be able to start back to back games currently - at left wing-back and made his third league start for the club and his first since October 1. He had a difficult game, missing a huge chance then being booed by the home fans when he passed backwards on the attack.

No wing-backs have scored this season for Barnsley. Corey O’Keeffe has clearly been asked to set up goals rather than score them with seven assists to four total shots this season, and he was unlucky not to get another assist here.