Current Barnsley centre back Jack Shepherd is returning to the University of Bradford stadium this weekend, with Bradford City hosting Barnsley in EFL League One.
Join me in this article as I discuss the Barnsley man’s Bradford history and how Barnsley have started the 25/26 campaign with a section from Lower Tiers writer and Barnsley fan Myles Tupman (@mylestupmann on X)
Jack Shepherd’s Bradford History
Last season, the 24-year-old was on loan at Bradford from Barnsley; some could argue that he was a solid foundation of Bradford’s back line last season and became a fan’s favourite in his time at the club.
With Shepherd joining the Bantams in August 2024, he managed to carry out 49 appearances and net three goals whilst on loan. The former Cheltenham Town man also contributed to the University of Bradford stadium outfit picking up a total of 16 clean sheets, which was the 5th most in the 24/25 League Two season.
This shows how crucial the centre back was to the Bantams’ last campaign, where he played a massive part in Bradford being successful in achieving automatic promotion to League One on the last day of the season against Fleetwood Town.
Barnsley’s Start To The Campaign
Last season, Barnsley finished 12th on 61 points in EFL League One. During pre-season, multiple Bookmakers and fans of the EFL predicted Barnsley to finish inside the playoffs or just outside them, with them making at least eight signings in the summer under manager Conor Hourihane, who took his first managerial role with him becoming boss in March last season.
So far this campaign, Barnsley have performed to that standard, with them currently sitting 8th on 17 points after playing 10 games.
The Tykes have been strong in an attacking sense so far this season, with them scoring 1.60 goals per match, which places them 5th, and scoring an overall of 16 goals, and top scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn contributing to six of them.
However, some could argue that the South Yorkshire-based side have been poor defensively, with them conceding 1.40 goals per match, which puts them 16th in that ranking and only keeping one clean sheet, which places them 19th in that ranking.
Myles’s View On Shepherd’s Performance For Barnsley
“On the back of a successful loan at Bradford that saw Shepherd become widely regarded as one of the more dominant centre backs in League Two, his return to Oakwell in the summer was highly anticipated by all Reds fans.
Plugging into a backline that shipped 73 goals, the previous campaign, he looked to be the answer to a leaky, mistake prone Barnsley defence that often cost them points.
Heading into this season, one question remained: would Shepherd be able to maintain his form in a division higher? For me, that question is still yet to be answered.
His life back at Barnsley started in the worst way possible. A questionable red card against recently relegated Plymouth, 63 minutes in saw Shepherd leave his side to hold onto a narrow lead for the final 30 minutes of a closely contested game.
Though undeserved, his sending off and subsequent suspension was an early wakeup call to life in League One.
To set the record straight, I think Jack Shepherd is a quality centre back that would start for most, if not all, the sides in this league. Many of the issues that he has had at Barnsley so far this season have not been his fault.
A dubious summer window and injuries to our backline have meant that he has been mainly operating on his weaker side in a four man defence. Though consistently outperforming his centre back partner Josh Earl, the pair have had a rough patch of games and looked very fragile both in and out of possession.
Despite not living up to early expectations, there is clearly a solid player in there, and when operating on his stronger side, he has stood out as a premium player in his position.
I think that Shepherd’s role will only grow over time, and manager Connor Hourihane has hinted changes to the backline that may see him back playing on the left.
If and when this happens, I feel that we might finally start seeing the Jack Shepherd that Bradford fans were desperate to sign this summer.”
