History of Barnsley F.C.

This article is about the history of Barnsley Football Club. For more information on current events see the main Barnsley page

The early years and FA Cup glory (1887–1912)

The football club 'Barnsley St. Peters' were formed in 1887, named after the church of the Reverend Tiverton Preedy, who founded the club in what had previously been a rugby-focused area. They began playing at their home Oakwell within a year, competing in the Sheffield and District League from 1890 and then in the Midland League from 1895. In 1897 the club was renamed Barnsley FC as the Reverend Preedy had since departed and the fanbase now encompassed a much wider area than the local parish. In the next season they were runners-up in the Midlands League and had also played in the Yorkshire League. Following this success, in 1898 they applied to join the Football League and were eventually voted into the third and final available spot.

Cooper Downs Glendenning Utley Taylor Tufnell Bratley Travers Bartrop Lillycrop Moore 1912 FA Cup winning squad

Their first game in the Football League was a 1-0 defeat away at Lincoln on 1 September 1898. Their first league win was a 2-0 victory at home against Luton, with John McArtney scoring the first ever league goal for the Tykes from the penalty spot. The team struggled in Division Two for the first ten years, due in part to ongoing financial difficulties. But then came the 1909-10 season, which saw the team on better form than they had ever been. They had a spectacular FA Cup run, beating out Blackpool, Bristol Rovers, West Bromwich Albion and Everton to reach the final. Here they played Newcastle and were leading 1-0 until the final minute when Newcastle controversially equalised, causing a replay which Barnsley lost 2-0. The following season they finished 19th in the league and were forced to apply for re-election to the football league, which they gratefully received.

The 1911-12 season however saw a revitalised side, and they once again proved unbeatable in the FA Cup rounds as well as being on good form in the league this time (while still not quite able to earn promotion into the top tier of English football). They went past Birmingham City, Leicester Fosse, Bolton Wanderers, a quarter-final against cup holders Bradford City and a notoriously brutal semi-final against Swindon Town. In the finals they played West Bromwich Albion. After the first match ended goal-less, the replay took place at Bramall Lane. Neither side managed to score until the last two minutes of play when Harry Tufnell's last-gap goal won the FA cup for Barnsley, for the only time in their history. They also finished the league in sixth position, the highest they had yet achieved.

Wartime and Post-War Barnsley (1913–1959)

In the following two seasons they finished the league in fourth and fifth place, not quite managing to reach the top flight, and sat in fourth place when league football was suspended due to the First World War. When the league started again in 1919, the decision to extend the first division to twenty-two teams made it likely that Barnsley would be automatically promoted. However, a ballot was instead called and Arsenal went up in their place (the Arsenal chairman later admitted to some underhand dealings). In 1921-22, Barnsley missed promotion on goal difference, by a single goal. Stoke City needed to win their final game by 3-0 in order to go ahead of Barnsley in the table, which is exactly what they did. It was the closest any team could come to securing promotion to the top flight without actually managing it.

After this disappointment, Barnsley F.C. languished in the Second Division throughout the twenties, achieving a good attacking record but not a defensive one to match it. In the thirties they found themselves sliding between the Second and Third Division, until the football league programme was once again abandoned due to the Second World War. Post-war Barnsley continued in much the same form. Notable players that served the team during this period included George Robledo, 'Skinner' Normanton and Tommy Taylor, who had departed the club by 1953 when they were relegated once again to Division Three, only to be promoted two years later and go back down again in 1959.

The long, hard road to the top (1960–1995)

Throughout the sixties and seventies Barnsley were only a shadow of the team they had once been, and this is remembered as the most disappointing period in the clubs history. They now hovered around the Third and Fourth Division, unable to even break into the top two flights of English football. The club saw a resurgence in the late seventies, though, managing to get themselves from Division Four back up to Division Two within two years. Two of the players who contributed to this success were future Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock and future Republic of Ireland international manager Mick McCarthy. Most importantly, though, was the arrival of player/manager Allan Clarke from the hugely successful Leeds United team of the seventies, who rebuilt and completely turned the team around. He was joined on the squad by his Leeds teammate Norman Hunter, who also spent a few years as manager of the club.

The eighties and early nineties saw the club establish themselves as a very strong Division Two side, as they had been in their early history, eventually reaching a position to once again start challenging for a place in the top tier for the very first time.

Promotion to the Premier League (1996–97)

After the end of the 1995–96 season several regular first team players left the club, including Andy Payton who was the leading goalscorer for the club and long-serving defender Owen Archdeacon. Manager Danny Wilson successfully acquired a number of signings in the summer that were to play huge roles, amongst these were the vastly experienced duo Neil Thompson and Paul Wilkinson, as well as youngster Matty Appleby.

Oakwell also gained an international flavour, as Jovo Bosancic and Trinidad and Tobagoa international Clint Marcelle were to sign, with Marcelle's work permit clearing just a couple of days prior to the Red's first game of the season, an away match at West Bromwich Albion. Fortunately, Marcelle was cleared to play and scored the opening goal of the season in a 2-1 victory. Barnsley went on to equal their best start to a season by winning the next four games. Wilson then further improved the team by bringing in Scottish forward John Hendrie, who had partnered Wilkinson at Middlesbrough.

Bolton Wanderers looked increasingly likely to win the league as the season progressed, the Reds played both games against the Trotters relatively early on in the season, with the two games both resulting in 2-2 draws. As the season neared its closing stages, it looked as if either Barnsley or Mark McGhee's Wolverhampton Wanderers would join Bolton.

In Barnsley's final home game of the season, a Yorkshire derby against Bradford City, the team knew a win would be enough to secure promotion to the top tier of English football for the first time in the club's history. The side dominated the game, but led only 1-0 at half time thanks to a Paul Wilkinson goal. With only a few minutes remaining, Clint Marcelle, the man who had scored the opening goal of the season scored the Red's final goal at home. As the final whistle blew, the fans swarmed onto the pitch amid jubilant celebrations.

The team lost their final game of the season 5-1 away at Oxford United; however the joy of promotion remained throughout the summer and the team later had an open-top bus celebration around the town, culminating at the town hall.

The Premier League season (1997–98)

The joy of promotion and sense of achievement was mixed with the knowledge that much hard work would have to be done for the club to stay in the top flight. Neil Thompson and Paul Wilkinson left the club, with Wilson bringing in several international calibre players, Slovenia captain Ales Krizan, South African Eric Tinkler, Welshman Darren Barnard and for a club record fee of £1,500,000 Macedonian striker Georgi Hristov. Wilson also brought in a reserve keeper, German Lars Leese from Bayer Leverkusen.

The team got off to a dream start, with Neil Redfearn scoring a seventh-minute goal in the Red's first game, a home contest against West Ham United. Two second half goals however saw the Reds lose. The first victory of the season came away at Selhurst Park, where another goal from Reds skipper Neil Redfearn secured a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

This was followed by a bad run of results, including 6-0 and 5-0 home defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, alongside a 7-0 thrashing against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Despite this fans continued to enjoy every moment, after going 6 down against Chelsea Barnsley supporters could be heard singing, "We're going to win 7-6".

Wilson moved to strengthen the squad and signed attacking duo Ashley Ward from Derby and Jan Åge Fjørtoft from Sheffield United. Wilson further strengthened the squad by signing central defender Peter Markstedt. One of the highlights of the season was to follow as Barnsley gained a measure of revenge for their 7-0 defeat at Old Trafford. After being drawn against Manchester United in the FA Cup the team played admirably to secure a 1-1 draw. There were also claims for a Barnsley penalty late on after Gary Neville apparently brought down Barnsley striker Andy Liddell in the box. In the replay at Oakwell, two goals by Barnsley youth team graduate Scott Jones and a goal for John Hendrie were enough to dump Manchester United out of the FA Cup 3-2. Barnsley went on to lose 3-1 away at Newcastle United.

Another of the highlights of the season was a 1-0 victory at Anfield against Liverpool, with an Ashley Ward goal the difference between the two sides. It was the return fixture at Oakwell however, which will be remembered for longer. After a good run of results for Barnsley, hopes were emerging that the team could avoid relegation. With the scores at 1-1 referee Gary Wilard sent off Barnsley players Darren Barnard and Chris Morgan. Liverpool then took the lead 2-1; the crowd was in a hostile mood yet not out of control. Then, for no apparent reason Wilard left the pitch without informing his assistants as to why. After a short break Wilard returned and Barnsley created an equaliser. In the last few seconds of the game Wilard sent off another Barnsley player, Darren Sheridan, and Liverpool scored a winner from the resulting free kick.

The results went downhill and Barnsley only won one of their final nine games, a 2-1 victory over local rivals Sheffield Wednesday. Barnsley were relegated after a 1-0 defeat at Leicester City and played their final game of the season at home against Manchester United, which they lost 2-0. In the summer to follow manager Danny Wilson departed Barnsley to join Sheffield Wednesday, a bitter blow for the club.

Back in Division One (1998–99)

Bullock Eaden Morgan Moses Barnard McClare de Zeeuw Tinkler Ward Dyer Hignett Squad on 27 November 1998 vs Huddersfield Town (7-1 victory)

With the team looking to bounce back to the Premier League John Hendrie was named manager. The Red's promotion hopes were hampered when they lost influential captain Neil Redfearn who was sold to Charlton Athletic after making 338 first team appearances for Barnsley. The season was mostly unremarkable as Barnsley finished 13th in the table. One of the highlights of the season was a 7-1 home victory against local rivals Huddersfield Town. This was the only time new signing Craig Hignett and Ashley Ward played together, with Ward leaving for Blackburn. After the season Barnsley lost yet more players from the promotion season, with solid defender Arjan de Zeeuw and attacking midfield player Clint Marcelle both leaving the club. Goalkeeper David Watson also suffered an injury mid-season that later ended his career.

Reaching the Playoffs (1999–2000)

At the end of the 1998/99 season Barnsley sacked manager John Hendrie, who had failed to make the team into genuine promotion contenders. A replacement was found in Dave Bassett, who had achieved considerable success with other clubs and who had won the 1997/98 Division One Championship with Nottingham Forest. Bassett was active in the transfer market, bringing in Neil Shipperley from Forest for £750,000 and former England international Geoff Thomas.

After losing the first two games of the season, Bassett brought in defender David Tuttle and goalkeeper Kevin Miller, both from another former club of his, Crystal Palace. The next game Barnsley emerged 6-0 victors against Portsmouth. Two days later, however the Reds lost 6-1 away at Ipswich.

Bassett strengthened the squad with defenders Steve Chettle, another former Forest player, and John Curtis who joined on loan from Manchester United. The Reds season continued brightly, occupying third position on occasions and consistently maintaining a pace that kept them in the promotion hunt. Barnsley did however lose to Ipswich in the return fixture at Oakwell.

As the season drew to a close, results went against Barnsley leaving second place an impossibility but they did secure fourth position, and a tie against Birmingham City, a team who had soundly defeated Barnsley just two months before. The first leg was played at St. Andrews and Barnsley delivered the greatest winning margin by any team playing away, emerging as 4-0 victors.

The return leg at Oakwell appeared to be a formality; however, Barnsley ended up losing 2-1. Playoff fever gripped the town as Barnsley had never before been to Wembley, and roughly, 35,000 fans made their way to see the Tykes play under the famous twin towers and try to beat Ipswich Town, a feat they had failed to do all season. Barnsley took the lead through attacking midfielder Craig Hignett but Ipswich equalised. Shortly before half time Barnsley were awarded a penalty but Darren Barnard saw his spot kick saved by future Arsenal, Everton and England goalkeeper Richard Wright.

After half time Ipswich scored two goals. With Barnsley going on the attack, they were awarded another penalty, taken this time by Craig Hignett. With time running out, Bassett introduced Georgi Hristov to the game as a substitute, who later saw a header at goal spectacularly saved by Wright. As time ran out Barnsley conceded a fourth, condemning them to another season in Division One. In the summer that followed a number of influential players left the club.

A difficult season (2000–01)

With Craig Hignett and Nicky Eaden departing Bassett brought in inexperienced Carl Regan and Lee Jones to bolster the squad in the hopes that Barnsley would be able to clear the final hurdle. Barnsley's increasingly rapid turnover of managers was to continue in the 2000/01 season with Bassett leaving in December, a surprise decision to most. Nigel Spackman was brought in to replace Bassett, and the team eventually finished in sixteenth position, above Sheffield Wednesday by virtue of goal difference.

Relegation to Division Two (2001–02)

The season started with Barnsley making a pre-season trip to Tenerife under boss Nigel Spackman who brought in fresh faces Kevin Donovan, Dean Gorré and Kevin Gallen, with Neil Shipperley and Martin Bullock departing the club. The division was particularly interesting as it contained three other teams from South Yorkshire, meaning the derby games against Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United would play an important part in final standings.

The first game of the season was an away visit to freshly relegated Bradford City, with the Reds suffering a humiliating 4-0 defeat, including goals by ex-Barnsley player Ashley Ward and former Sheffield Wednesday player Benito Carbone. This was to set a tone for Barnsley who did not pick up a victory away from home until they played bottom of the table Stockport County on Boxing Day. The following game at home against Nottingham Forest was more positive as the Reds walked away 2-1 winners. After a mediocre start with Barnsley reaching eleventh by mid-September results started to go downhill and the team found themselves hovering around the relegation zone. Following a 3-1 defeat to Wednesday at Hillsborough Spackman and coach Derek Fazackerley were both sacked. Caretaker manager Glynn Hodges won his first game in charge 3-2 against West Bromwich Albion, however two 3-0 defeats followed against Manchester City and Watford.

Then Rochdale boss, Steve Parkin, was appointed full-time manager on 9 November. After a poor start of just one point from the first three games Parkin brought in midfielder Gary Jones who had been captain at Rochdale. The Reds then faced the return fixture against Sheffield Wednesday, just six weeks after the away game had ended the tenure of Nigel Spackman. Barnsley played with new found passion, as they went on to comfortably beat the Owls 3-0. This was the start of a strong December, where Barnsley went undefeated, picking up 4-1 victories against Walsall and Gillingham at home, a 3-1 victory away at Stockport as well as gaining valuable points from away draws against Sheffield United and Rotherham. Barnsley were not defeated in the league until 16 February when they lose away to Birmingham City, an undefeated streak of twelve games, including a 3-3 draw at home to Bradford, where Ashley Ward again scored twice against his former employers late in the game, costing Barnsley two points that proved vital at the end of the season.

Results went downhill, and Barnsley were dragged back into the mire, with Barnsley's away form being particularly terrible the Reds were reliant upon home victories to get valuable points. Despite a battling effort it came down to the final home game of the season, with Barnsley needing a victory against Norwich City to stave off relegation. On 13 April, Barnsley lost 2-0, and were relegated outside the top two flights of English football for the first time in over twenty years. Barnsley finished with a victory away at Wimbledon, only their second away win all season.

Administration and takeover

Relegation and the collapse of ITV Digital led to the club being placed into administration on 3 October 2002 by the then owner John Dennis. The remaining finance for the day-to-day running of the club was scheduled to run out on 30 November, providing a deadline by which a new owner for the club had to be found.

Ten days before the club was due to close an announcement was made by administrator Matthew Dunham that the then Mayor of Barnsley, Peter Doyle was in line to complete a takeover of the club. This was confirmed on 3 December but ratification by the league was not confirmed for some months. Many fans however were unhappy with Doyle's motives in running the club, as he was seen as a surprise buyer. Fans staged walkouts during games to protest and ultimately followed in the steps of former Wimbledon fans by creating a breakaway club, AFC Barnsley,^[1] though they folded towards the end of the 2005-06 season due to the salvation of the main club.

In the summer of 2003, the sale of the club appeared imminent on numerous occasions. Initially a deal was agreed between Doyle and Sean Lewis, a California based businessman. This led to the departure of manager Glyn Hodges on 5 July with former Stoke boss Gudjon Thordarson given the job as part of the deal.^[2] The deal was ultimately rejected by the Football League who refused to ratify it because they did not believe the takeover would clear the club's debts.

On 4 September 2003, former Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale announced that he had purchased the club alongside local businessman Patrick Cryne.^[3] Ridsdale ultimately stepped down on 24 December 2004 after a conflict of interests within the board, with the club's finances becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Ownership was transferred to board member Gordon Shepherd, with Cryne remaining in a prominent position at the club.^[4]

The Division Two years (2002–2005)

Barnsley's troubles in fighting administration were matched by their struggles on the field. A poor pre-season campaign saw Barnsley's only victory come against Worksop Town. Barnsley started their Second Division lives in poor form, losing away at Swindon Town and conceding a late equaliser at home to Cheltenham Town. Barnsley's form continued to be poor and after a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Danny Wilson's Bristol City side Parkin was sacked, with Glynn Hodges appointed as caretaker manager. Barnsley's form continued to be mixed, however Barnsley were in a position to secure their position and prevent relegation for a second successive season with their final home game of the season against Brentford. After a goalless 92 minutes Isaiah Rankin scored a dramatic injury time winner, meaning Barnsley could travel to promoted Wigan Athletic knowing they were secure.

The following summer was a time of confusion, with Gudjon Thordarson ultimately ending up as manager, the first manager from outside the UK to become Barnsley manager. Barnsley were only given permission to play in the league 24 hours before their first game of the season. Thordarson brought in a number of players, including goalkeeper Sasa Ilic, Tony Gallimore, Peter Handyside and Craig Ireland. Barnsley started the season with a 1-0 victory over Colchester. Barnsley continued to play well and made their best start to a season since their promotion to the Premier League, occupying top spot on occasions. Results continued to go well and Barnsley maintained hopes of an automatic promotion spot, and at the least a play-off position. Barnsley swooped to sign Manchester United player Daniel Nardiello on loan, and he made an immediate impact just hours later in a 3-0 home win against Blackpool, scoring two goals. However, after only one win in January and February Thordarson was sacked after a humiliating 6-1 defeat away at Grimsby Town. Paul Hart was brought in as manager, however he was unable to push Barnsley into promotion contenders, and Barnsley finished in twelfth position, with only four victories since December.

Hart started a summer clear out, and 12 players left the club. Hart did not hesitate to bring in fresh faces, with Barry Conlon, Tom Williams, Nick Colgan, Paul Reid and Stephen McPhail all looking to be key signings. Nardiello was also brought back to the club on a season long loan. A poor start saw Barnsley slip down to 20th in the league at the start of September, and Hart moved to sign Michael Chopra on loan from Newcastle United. Barnsley continued to hover around the relegation places until December, where they won four and drew one of their five games, the draw coming after they had led Stockport 3-0 with 50 minutes played, and ending up 3-3. Barnsley's form dipped and after a poor February Hart was sacked, despite his final game in charge being a 4-1 victory over Torquay United. Academy coach Andy Ritchie was named temporary manager. He started well, and earned the manager of the month accolade for March, his first month in charge. Barnsley finished strongly, despite a 5-0 loss away to Port Vale and finished in 13th place.

Promotion to the Championship (2005–06)

With Andy Ritchie, Paul Hart's assistant, being confirmed as manager the team made a number of signings, including a surprise addition in the form of Richard Kell, a player recovering from a broken leg. He was joined at Oakwell by fellow Scunthorpe player Paul Hayes, who had netted 18 times for the Iron in the previous season.^[5] Marc Richards signed as a free agent and Martin Devaney joined the Tykes from Watford. Barnsley players Tom Williams and Mark Stallard left the club.

As the season progressed, the Tykes showed glimpses of quality and notable victories included two 2-0 wins over newly relegated Nottingham Forest which proved vital at the end of the season as the Tykes finished just three points above Forest.

On 2 March, Barnsley lost influential player Jacob Burns to Polish side Wisła Kraków, with the player looking to improve his chances of being selected for the Australian World Cup squad and he wanted to play in either the Champions League or the UEFA Cup .^[6] The Reds won just two games out of their next eleven in the league, missing numerous chances to secure a playoff spot, and arguably an automatic promotion place.

One such example was the game against the league leaders Southend. They had the opportunity to close the gap when they led The Shrimpers 2-0 at home but eventually drew the game 2-2. Such spurned chances were to be a trademark of Barnsley's season but despite this, Barnsley finished fifth in the league, resulting in a playoff tie with local rivals Huddersfield Town.

After losing the first leg at home 1-0 it appeared that Barnsley were resigned to another season in League One. The Reds took a vocal support of 4,000 fans to the away leg at the Galpharm Stadium, and the ground erupted as Paul Hayes placed home a penalty. Huddersfield went on to equalise but goals from captain Paul Reid and a 77th-minute winner from ex-Manchester United trainee Daniel Nardiello put the Reds into a playoff final against Swansea City who had beaten third placed Brentford. This was also the first time in the history of the playoffs in all three divisions that a side had overturned a first leg deficit after losing the first leg at home.

The final was played at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on 27 May 2006 in front of a crowd of 55,419. Barnsley took the lead through a Paul Hayes opener but Swansea replied with goals from ex-Red Rory Fallon and Andy Robinson following a blunder by keeper Nick Colgan. Barnsley were not to be out-done and the vocal fan support continued throughout the game. A Barnsley equaliser came from a Daniel Nardiello free kick, and chances were traded back and forth for the rest of the game and extra-time.

The match was decided on penalties, with Nick Colgan going from villain to hero and saving the winning penalty from Alan Tate, to give the Reds a 4-3 shootout victory and a place in the Championship to boot.

In the Championship (2006–07)

Colgan Hassell Kay P.Reid (c) Heckingbottom Devaney Togwell Reid Ferenczi Nardiello Howard Common Barnsley line up from January 2007

Barnsley had a reasonably positive start to the season in 2006 and after eight games found themselves at 13th in the league, following a 1-0 home victory against high-flying Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, things soon started to go wrong for the club at this point and they managed to win only one of their next ten games, a passionate 3-2 derby win versus Leeds United. At the end of October the team slipped into the relegation zone, and following a 2-0 away loss to Crystal Palace in November, Andy Ritchie was sacked as manager and replaced by Simon Davey, who initially took over as interim manager before receiving a permanent contract on New Year's Eve. Four games undefeated with their new manager brought Barnsley temporarily out of relegation, but their form continued to stutter throughout December and January and they found themselves continuing to hover around the relegation spots. In a recurring pattern, an occasional run of good form including wins against fellow relegation candidates Hull City, Luton Town, Queens Park Rangers and Southend United lifted them as high as 19th, but they soon found themselves dropping again.

The January transfer window saw the arrival of several Hungarian players. Istvan Ferenczi signed with the club, while Peter Rajczi and Peter Simek agreed to join on loan with an option to be signed in the Summer. Goalkeeper David Lucas and midfielders Grant McCann and Dwayne Mattis also signed for Barnsley, and loan spells were secured for midfielders Kyel Reid and Ritchie Jones, and defensive players Ronnie Wallwork, Adam Eckersley and young Welsh international Lewin Nyatanga. Ferenczi scored his first five goals for the club in four consecutive matches, including two in a 3-0 home victory over Hull City followed by the decisive goal in a surprising 0-1 away victory against Stoke City. He scored his sixth in a memorable 2-4 away win over Plymouth Argyle, a match which also featured an impressive long-range strike from Martin Devaney, struck directly on the volley from a goal kick (coincidentally, Antony Kay had put away a similar 30-yard shot in the home game against Plymouth earlier in the season). The team continued to suffer heavy losses, though, which contributed to a very poor goal difference. The worst of these included a 4-1 away loss to Coventry City and a 5-1 away loss to Ipswich Town, in which three goals were conceded in the final eight minutes of play.

On the Easter Bank Holiday Monday, Barnsley entertained 3rd-place promotion candidates Birmingham City. An important game for both sides saw Daniel Nardiello score the only goal and secure victory. The following weekend, Barnsley travelled to Southend United and won 1-3. This was a crucial victory at a pivotal time of the season, and was followed by a 2-0 home victory over Crystal Palace (the team's third consecutive win, a feat they had failed to achieve all season). Striker Daniel Nardiello, who at the end of March had only scored three goals in the entire season, had taken a spell working on his fitness away from the club and appeared to return in better form than ever. He scored decisive goals in all three victories and quickly became the top scorer for the club with nine goals, just ahead of Brian Howard's eight. Barnsley's Championship survival was secured on 28 April with one game remaining, losing 0-1 at home to Leicester City but staying 20th in the league and four points clear of Yorkshire rivals Leeds United. They ended the season with a humiliating 7-0 away loss at West Bromwich Albion, their worst league result since their 1997 Premier League season.

International Barnsley, FA Cup Success (2007–08)

Steele van Homoet Souza Foster Kozluk Devaney Hassell Campbell-Ryce Ferenczi Odejayi Howard (c) Barnsley line up against Chelsea on 8 March 2008

With the departure of six first team players (Daniel Nardiello, Paul Hayes, Antony Kay, Paul Heckingbottom, Neil Austin and Marc Richards), Simon Davey dipped heavily into the summer transfer market and ultimately brought in fourteen new players, the majority of whom were foreign. The most successful of these signings included goalkeeper Heinz Muller, midfielders Anderson and Jamal Campbell-Ryce, and a new defensive line-up made up of Robert Kozluk, Dennis Souza, Stephen Foster and Lewin Nyatanga (who returned on an extended loan spell after becoming a fan favourite).

Barnsley had a very positive start to the season, surpassing expectations and finding themselves in the top six of the Football League Championship with ten games played. Most of the summer signings found their way into the squad early on, making it quite common for there only to be two or three players in the starting eleven who were with the club in the previous season. Top scorer Brian Howard was rumoured to have attracted Premier League interest along with new signings Heinz Muller, Dennis Souza and even manager Simon Davey. The team managed to maintain a decent level of consistency, remaining in the top half of the table throughout the first half of the season. Derby County striker Jon Macken arrived on loan in November, and scored his first three goals for the club in his last two matches before being recalled by Derby at the end of December along with Lewin Nyatanga. Barnsley's form finally began to stutter through December and January, when they went for eight league games without a victory and dropped to 16th in the table. They did, however, beat both Blackpool and Southend United in the FA Cup to secure passage to the last sixteen.

The first new signing of the January window was Spanish midfielder Diego León, followed by a short-term loan signing for Miguel Tininho and a controversial loan deal for ex-reds striker Daniel Nardiello (who had turned down a contract offer to leave the club for QPR the previous summer). Shortly before the transfer window closed, Davey signed previously-loaned players Jon Macken from Derby County and Anderson from Everton (each for an undisclosed six-figure fee), as well as securing yet another loan spell for Lewin Nyatanga, with a fee agreed for a permanent summer switch. Outgoing from the club was reserve goalkeeper Nick Colgan to Championship rivals Ipswich Town, so an injury to first-choice keeper Heinz Muller forced a late loan deal for goalkeeper Tony Warner on a month's loan from Fulham. Anderson also suffered an injury in late February which kept him out for up to seven months.

Barnsley continued to maintain their lower mid-table position in the Championship, unable to put a winning streak together. On 16 February, the team travelled to Anfield to play Liverpool in the 5th round of the FA Cup and pulled off a surprise 2-1 victory, with a strong defensive display and a 'Man of the Match', 'Player of the Round' performance from loaned keeper Luke Steele (who was brought in at the last minute for cup-tied Tony Warner). After conceding a goal in the first half, it was Stephen Foster who equalised in the second and captain Brian Howard who scored the last-gasp winner which allowed them to progress to the quarter finals for the first time since 1999, where they faced Chelsea at Oakwell. Here, the Tykes put in a 'sensational' performance against the FA Cup holders and Kayode Odejayi's second-half header (only his second goal of the season) was enough to put the Yorkshire side into the semi-final for the first time since they won the cup in 1912. Even Chelsea boss Avram Grant admitted after the game that the Championship side fully deserved their win.^[7] With Portsmouth the only Premier League side remaining in the competition, what had begun as a shock result at Anfield had now developed into a genuine chance to reclaim their FA Cup glory, and when they were drawn against Cardiff City in the semi-finals at Wembley, a repeat of the historic final against West Bromwich Albion was well on the cards. However, Cardiff managed to beat Barnsley with a 9th-minute goal from Joe Ledley, to go through to the final against Portsmouth after they themselves, had beaten West Brom to reach the final.

From then on, it was six cup finals for the Reds and they bounced back from the Wembley disappointment with a stunning 3-0 away win at eventual play-off semi finalists Watford, Kayode Odejayi scoring two and Stephen Foster getting the other. Following just their second away win of the season came their third the next Saturday. Barnsley came out victorious at Preston with goals from Diego León and Jon Macken. A couple of defeats against Hull and Leicester put the team closer to the relegation zone but a 3-0 win over Charlton with goals coming from Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Lewin Nyatanga and Jon Macken secured Championship football the next season.

Season 2008–09

References