Analysis of Barnsley's 2-1 loss at home to Huddersfield Town on Saturday. Jon Russell scored early but the visitors netted two quickfire goals in the second half.
ISSUES FROM TOP TO BOTTOM AT CLUB
THIS was supposed to be a match between two sides with promotion ambitions but Barnsley fans have been watching a relegation standard team at Oakwell across the last 12 months.
Since they beat Derby County in late February 2024, the Reds have played 22 home league matches and won four with ten draws and eight losses - giving them 22 points. They have won four of 16 at home this season, with a point in the last three.
When the stated aim is promotion, and the Championship their tradtional home even if it is one they have been priced out of in recent years, the phrase ‘not good enough’ doesn’t quite do justice to the situation.
Their away form means that they are not in a relegation fight - unless the unthinkable happens and this winless run goes from six well into double figures - while the daunting seven-point gap to the top six could still be cut down when they visit Rotherham and Northampton next week.
But this deserved derby defeat felt like another bitter blow to their promotion ambitions and only extreme optimists will think they can win 11 of the last 15 matches which is the kind of finish needed. No club in the division has collected fewer points in the last six games.
Many of the fans sang for the owners to ‘get out of our club’ and that ‘Barnsley FC is in the wrong hands’.
There are certainly some fair criticisms of the ownership group who, while they do seem to have club’s best interests at heart and are an improvement on the now-sidelined Paul Conway, appear to be overseeing a descent into mid-table mediocrity in the third tier.
But the main problem, or certainly one of them, is the home form which is both hindering a promotion push and setting a very negative tone around the club and fanbase.
When the home record is so much worse than the healthy away stats, it has to be mainly a mental issue which is up to the coaches and players to solve not chairman Neerav Parekh in India or director Julie Anne Quay in New York.
Every player asked in interviews has said they do not feel any different playing at Oakwell compared to away but – as Darrell Clarke has hinted throughout the campaign – there is clearly a collective psychological problem which they must own, confront and overcome.
Clarke was billed as an excellent man-manager when he arrived but he cannot seem to solve the Oakwell hoodoo and get consistently better performances out of a squad that is flawed but more talented than their record suggests. The head coach is starting to come under real pressure and needs wins very soon, while his players are hugely underperforming and must also shoulder a lot of the blame.
Barnsley’s record against the top six now reads: one win – as they somehow survived a Wrexham onslaught on New Year’s Day – two draws and seven losses.
‘DR BARNSLEY’ END POOR RUN FOR DUFF AGAIN
Mr Duff, Doctor Barnsley will see you now.
For the second time this season, Michael Duff’s Huddersfield were on a four-game winless run and under pressure from their fans going into an all-Yorkshire clash with his old club but won to get their promotion challenge back on track. The Terriers went from being booed off by a furious and full away end at the break to being clapped off at full-time. Duff has now won eight and drawn one of his nine league meetings with Clarke.
Huddersfield were in the lowest play-off place, six points above the Reds, so it felt like a perfect chance to cut that gap.
The Reds were very good for 20 minutes and took the lead, against a very sloppy away team, but missed other big chances in that period with fans singing ‘Darrell Clarke’s red and white army’.
But they did not create an opportunity, or barely a meaningful attack, from 20 to 80 minutes as they conceded twice either side of the hour-mark then never realistically looked like getting back into it.
They were missing injured Luca Connell and also Adam Phillips - whose partner was due to give birth - who had 18 goal contributions between them, while the equaliser was a controversial refereeing decision.
But they dropped off completely after the first quarter and conceded sloppy goals. It was a fifth straight win for the Terriers against the Reds.
MOST HOME POINTS LOST WHEN LEADING IN EFL
The Reds have lost 17 points from winning positions this season - 14 of which have been at home which is the most in the EFL.
Last week at Stockport, they conceded two goals in four minutes. This time it was two in three as their habit of falling apart in the second half continued.
Corey O’Keeffe’s set pieces have been a productive source of Barnsley goals this season and there was another in this game, but for the opposition. In a rare attacking position in the second half, he tried to pass a free-kick into the path of Stephen Humphrys who went to ground amid claims of a foul by ex-Red Herbie Kane who found Lasse Sorensen to play through Josh Koroma who got in front of O’Keeffe and fired past Gauci.
Clarke said he had history with referee David Rock who gave a controversial red card, which got rescinded, in April 2023 when the Reds boss was Port Vale manager and was sacked the following Monday. Kane - who was booed throughout but probably passed better than any midfielder on either side - clearly saw Humphrys coming and took him down. It was a foul but it shouldn’t have been followed by such a sloppy goal.
Soon after, Ben Wiles’ low free-kick - conceded by Jon Russell - from the right wing crept all the way into the bottom right corner. O’Keeffe was distracted by the run of Callum Marshall then missed a possible clearance, with Gauci unsighted and slow to dive as it crept into the bottom right corner.
RUSSELL WONDERGOAL OPENS SCORING
Ex-Huddersfield man Russell opened the scoring early on with a tremendous goal.
Kelechi Nwakali lost the ball in his half but Marshall accidentally dispossessed his team-mate Davis Kasumu and the ball broke to Russell. The midfielder charged almost 50 yards, with the defence backing off, then skipped around his former colleague Kane before finding the bottom right corner from 20 yards. It was his sixth goal of the season - including two of Barnsley’s three in the last five games - but he did not celebrate against his previous club.
Russell was superb in the first half, passing and pressing very well, before fading like everyone else after the break.
He and Nwakali, who sprayed some impressive passes out to the wings, held their own against three away midfielders early on before becoming overwhelmed.
The back three did some good work but it always looked like Huddersfield would get a chance, with Marc Roberts’ experience missed in the final game of his ban.
Left wing-back Neil Farrugia - who was put back into the 11 - was lively going forward and made a crucial defensive tackle at 1-0.
Barnsley played a front three of home debutant Clement Rodrigues flanked by Davis Keillor-Dunn and Humphrys. Rodrigues did not do much with the ball on the few times he got it, often looking hesitant, but was a nuisance with his pressing which led to some chances.
Keillor-Dunn could have done better with two big early chances while Humphrys - back in the side after illness - is now goalless in 15 games.
BENCH OPTIONS VERY LIMITED
Huddersfield had not won in five attempts at Oakwell since a 1-0 win in 2012 which is best remembered as Mido’s only appearance for the Reds - a disastrous cameo off the bench for the unfit former star.
This time, when Clarke looked at his bench, there were no proven attacking options at this level.
Huddersfield could bring on Josh Koroma who levelled and more experienced players to see the game out, but the Reds boss did not have that luxury.
They have been unfortunate with injuries but sporting director Mladen Sormaz, who used to work at his local club Huddersfield, and the recruitment team do not seem to have created a balanced and strong squad in the winter window.
The only one of Barnsley’s substitutes who had scored for the club was Josh Benson and his last goal was in 2022. Midfielder Benson came on for striker Rodrigues just after going behind when Barnsley changed to 3-5-2. It was his first league appearance since the reverse fixture in October and he struggled to make an impact.
Also coming on was new signing Jonathan Lewis who - with the Reds thought to be in need of a striker - played on the left wing and is lacking fitness so may not start much in the near future. The diminutive American was fairly lively and played some good passes.
Young striker Josiah Dyer finally made his league debut on 88 minutes - following in the glorious footsteps of legendary dad Bruce - and had a header saved in injury-time. That would have been an iconic but undeserved twist.
