IT was Conor Hourihane’s first game in charge of the Reds since Darrell Clarke’s sacking - but if Saturday’s performance was anything to go by it’s going to take a while for the Irishman to put his stamp on the team.
Clarke was sacked on Wednesday and Hourihane only had a couple of days on the pitch with the team before the game against Mansfield.
And despite the changes - Adam Phillips, Mael de Gevigney and Josh Benson coming in - there wasn’t much change on the pitch.
The Reds looked sluggish throughout and rarely put any good moves together.
They went behind - as they have done many times this season - early on as Caylan Vickers fired past Jackson Smith in the Barnsley goal.
And for much of the first half it was all Mansfield.
They were the side that looked the more dangerous.
Thankfully they were wasteful with their chances and, despite a late flurry of shots from Stephen Humphrys towards the end of the half, Barnsley went in 1-0 down.
The Reds started the second half much better, and got a deserved equaliser through the returning Benson.
Despite facing a side who had not won since January 4, they didn’t capitalise on the pressure and Nigel Clough’s side won the game in the last minute through Deji Oshilaja.
The defeat leaves the Reds tenth, nine points off the top six with nine games to go.
Hourihane will need more time to put his stamp on this side, but it wasn’t the start the club legend would have been hoping for.
MORE INJURY CONCERNS
There's no doubting that the injury crisis at Oakwell in recent weeks has had a major impact on the results.
Darrell Clarke said he didn't want to use it as an excuse but when the bench is full of unproven youngsters week-in-week-out, there's bound to be a drop in form.
That's why it was a breath of fresh air at 2pm on Saturday when the team was announced and Adam Phillips was back in the starting 11 after an injury.
Even Jonathan Lewis made the bench for the first time in a number of weeks - and it looked as though there was real squad depth for this game.
But just after the first goal, Jackson Smith went down holding his hamstring and was substituted for young 'keeper Kieren Flavell.
He was the fifth 'keeper Barnsley have put in between the sticks this season.
Ben Killip started the season before Gabriel Slonina took his place.
Killip regained his spot before Christmas and then was replaced by Joe Gauci.
The Aussie then also got injured and Smith took his place.
It's really concerning and you'd imagine that Barnsley will now have to look into the emergency loan market just to make up the numbers in that department.
To make things worse, Marc Roberts was taken off at half-time with a head injury.
He's been a mainstay in the Barnsley side since his return and despite the team not playing well, he has performed consistently.
If he is to be out for a prolonged amount of time the Reds could really struggle at the back.
BENSON RETURN AND GOAL
Similarly to the return of Adam Phillips in the Barnsley team, the Josh Benson inclusion was also a positive one.
He's been injury prone since his arrival at Oakwell and has been really unlucky.
When he plays he is generally impressive - and has been unfortunate to never really get a full run of games in the team.
But he started this game at right-wing-back - as he did under Michael Duff on a number of occasions - and looked good going forward.
But it was his defensive work that was just as impressive.
He kept the Mansfield wingers at bay during the game and, despite the constant barrage of attack coming down his side, he did look strong.
It's made all the more impressive considering this was his first league start for the Reds since a 1-1 draw with Leyton Orient in December 2023 - 17 months ago.
That's why it as good to see him on the scoresheet on Saturday afternoon - he's worked hard during a frustrating year-and-a-half for him and he deserves some credit for that.
If he can build up his confidence and get a number of games under his belt, he could be a real asset for Hourihane's Reds going forward.
FAN REACTION
It's fair to see that the atmosphere around the club has become fairly toxic in recent months, especially since the end of the January transfer window.
Fans have been unhappy with the lack of first-team players being brought in during the window - and rightfully so.
It's shown in recent weeks during the injury crisis that Barnsley need more bodies - but it's something they simply haven't got.
A lot of the blame had been put on Clarke for the performances, but there were still mixed feelings about his sacking this week.
But the announcement that Hourihane, a club legend, would take the reins until the end of the season - must surely be one that the fans can get behind, at least for the time being.
He said before the game that it would be an emotional moment walking out as Barnsley head coach at Mansfield - and it certainly was.
He went over to the Reds fans before the first whistle to applause from the Barnsley faithful, who were excellent all afternoon despite the poor performance.
If there's any man that can bring the fan base back together, it has to be him.
He's adored by fans, young and old, and his mentality is one that every Barnsley player should have.
Unfortunately the performance wasn't a good one and apart from the goal the fans didn't have much to cheer for.
At the full-time whistle there were a fair few boos, but some fans did stay and applaud Hourihane as he went towards the away end.
It's been a difficult season - and it's showing no signs of stopping just yet - but you'd like to think the supporters can get behind Hourihane for the last nine games.
PLAY-OFFS BECOMING A PIPE DREAM
Speaking of those last nine games, it's now becoming increasingly difficult to see Barnsley pushing for the play-offs.
They're still in tenth, but are now nine points off the top six.
It'll take a miraculous turnaround for the Reds to be able to come into the sort of form that they would need to make the play-offs.
It would have to be equally miraculous for the sides above the Reds to end up dropping so many points.
The one thing you can say about this side is that although they often go on losing runs, they do also go on winning ones.
It's unlikely to happen though.
And for Hourihane, his aim for the final few games of the season has to be to restore some pride among the team - and to get the fans back on side.
And if he's successful in doing so, there's no reason why he can't take the team forward going into the next campaign.
Barnsley (3-4-3): Smith (Flavell 14); de Gevigney 6, Roberts 5 (Barratt 46), McCarthy 5; Benson 7 (Farrugia 83), Connell 5, Russell 5 (Lewis 92), O’Keeffe 5; Phillips 6, Keillor-Dunn 5, Humphrys 6 (Watters 46).
Unused subs: Lembikisa, Nwakali.
Goal: Benson.
Mansfield (4-1-4-1): Pym; Bowery, Cargill (Rhodes 46), Oshilaja, McLaughlin; Reed; Akins, Boateng (Lewis 74), Baccus (Flint 92), Vickers (Waine 83); Evans.
Unused subs: Flinders, Kilgour, Quinn.
Goals: Vickers, Oshilaja.
