We have already reached the halfway stage of Barnsley’s 2025/26 League One season, and with that the trends and patterns that define a campaign are finally beginning to solidify.
This is the stage where early season noise fades away, leaving a clearer picture of a squad’s genuine identity and likely trajectory for the remainder of the season.
Now take everything we have just said, and throw it out the window.
A stop start first year in charge of the Reds for former club captain Connor Hourihane sees his side currently sat in 15th, with as many as five games in hand on some of the leagues other sides.
Luckily for you, we at TheLowerTiers don’t care for pedantics, so despite the South Yorkshire side technically trailing the calendar, we have seen enough to draw some firm conclusions regarding the current squad.
It is time to look past a deceiving league table and evaluate whether the current personnel at Oakwell are living up to expectations. In this mid-season report, we break down the side by unit, grading their performance so far on our “Flatbread Scale” to determine how effective they’ve been from August to now.
One of the more topical positions for Reds fans this season, the goalkeeping unit has just seen an interesting shakeup. The clubs decision to terminate Murphy Cooper’s loan and the subsequent arrival of Owen Goodman from Crystal Palace was an unexpected shuffle of the pack indicating an admission that something simply was’t working.
Though Cooper arrived with plenty of promise on the back of a season with Stevenage which saw him keep the most clean sheets in the league, his smaller stature and suspect decision making left much to be desired.
Despite being a proficient shot stopper and pulling off an array of spectacular saves, his lack of presence in the area and error prone tendencies when rushing out contributed to a backline with only two clean sheets all season (the lowest in the division by three).
That being said, the early signs from Owen Goodman suggest a profile much better suited to Barnsley’s style of play. At 6’4, he stands as a far more imposing figure compared to Cooper, having more command within the box.
His debut against Blackpool offered glimpses of a goalkeeper that will provide more calm to a backline that has often looked on edge both in and out of possession.
It is hard to say whether the decision to switch Cooper for Goodman will pay off, but the instability across the first 22 games means the goalkeepers remain one of the squads biggest underperformers so far this season.
If the goalkeeping situation has been a source of anxiety, the defensive unit has often been the primary catalyst for it.
Barnsley head into late January with one of the worst records in the division, conceding an average of 1.5 goals per game, a statistic that ranks them joint third bottom in League One. While injuries have played their part, the lack of any real cohesion or structure has been the defining factor in the sides struggles.
For large parts of the season, the most common centre back pairing has been Josh Earl and Jack Shepherd, a partnership that, while individually talented, is fundamentally lopsided.
Despite Earl maintaining a 78.7% pass accuracy, his indecisiveness and general lax nature on the ball has been a source of frustration for the Oakwell faithful this season.
Alongside him, Shepherd leads the team in clearances (6.5 per 90) and aerial duels won (68.4%), yet his performance levels have fluctuated wildly as he’s been forced to cover the right hand side.
The January arrival of Eoghan O’Connel, who made his league debut alongside Shepherd against Blackpool finally provides the consistent presence of a natural right footer. With this signing, we are likely to see Shepherd return to the left of the back four, potentially sparking the return of form we saw during his time at Bradford last year.
Mael De Gevigney has also been in and out the side with injuries, though wildly inconsistent and prone to a comedy of errors, he remains one of the more proficient on ball centre backs at the club with a successful pass percentage of 84.7%.
While the centrebacks have struggled with imbalance, Barnsley’s full backs have remained unremarkably steady throughout the season so far. Though I wouldn’t attribute as much of Barnsley’s defensive woes to them, they have still been part of a back four that has shipped 34 goals in 22 games and so cannot escape criticism.
Tennai Watson and Nathaniel Ogbeta were two of the Reds summer acquisitions, starting the season strong and gaining plaudits from Barnsley fans for their robust and ever solid performances on either flank.
Injuries once again struck, disrupting the order of the back four and contributing to one of the more calamitous defensive units in the EFL.
Though willing runners, none of Barnsley’s fullbacks are currently performing with an attacking output that outweighs how terrible they have been at the back.
The January return of Corey O’Keefe into the starting 11 after his loan at Stockport was cut short had fans up in arms until his performances against both Liverpool and Blackpool.
The 27 year old looks to be playing with a renewed vigour and desire so will hopefully provide much needed depth at a position the Reds have struggled to get any real returns from so far this campaign.
A pretty healthy position on the field for the reds, tends to be anything in this midfield. One of the strongest in the league, but any injury and/or suspension can set them back slightly.
Having to fit an impressive Patrick Kelly, and one of the best in the league Adam Phillips, in a midfield that can only really command one, can be a problem.
Vimal Yoganathan drifts between attacking midfield and the wing. But also captain Luca Connell and impressive former-academy prospect Jonathan Bland are too good to drop, it can be a real head-scratcher for the gaffer.
It’s kept itself healthy for the most part. The odd suspension hasn’t really throwing much a spanner in the works, due to that heavy depth on offer.
Phillips and Kelly have themselves 3 assists each this season, combining for 5 goals. This shows that the attacking midfield is one of the strongest positions Barnsley have on offer.
However, fans know that Adam Phillips is often one of the more inconsistent players for The Tykes. His performances are often streaky, and he doesn’t offer much in between them. His however, is too great to miss out on.
Phillips’ xG sits at 2.50, and with 3 goals, shows that he can stick away some rather difficult chances. His successful pass rate is 76.1%, again highlighting how good he can be… when he wants.
Arguably the most impressive has been his counterpart – Patrick Kelly. Across all competitions he’s made 24 appearances and logged 1,396 minutes, which gives us a solid sample to work with. In League One specifically, he’s played 17 matches for 925 minutes, scoring 1 goal.
Kelly also ranks well for progressive receptions and forward carries. He is consistently moving for the ball between lines and helping The Reds advance play without forcing high‑risk passes. Duel success rate sits in the mid‑50s.
This is strong for a young midfielder in a physical league, and his pressures per 90 are among the highest in Barnsley’s midfield group, showing how reliably he triggers the press and covers ground.
What stands out most is his ball‑retention under pressure. Kelly loses possession far less often than the average League One midfielder his age Witht his, his pass‑completion into the final third is trending upward as the season goes on.
Barnsley’s attack this season has been simply phenominal. Especially out wide. The addition of Reyes Cleary has set the league alight, from his first league start – and goal, against Bradford at VP, to his MOTM performance at Anfield.
Cleary truly is a special talent. Davis Keillor-Dunn has also been doing his usual and bagging goal after goal. This Reds attack doesn’t know when to stop.
David McGoldrick has given The Tykes steady, veteran output this season. Didzy has made 22 appearances for 1,213 minutes with 5 goals and 1 assist. Including 2 League One goals and 3 more in the EFL Trophy.
He’s not the scorer he once was, but his touch, link‑play, and composure continue to give The Reds control in key moments.
Corey O’Keeffe has impressed on his return spell from Stockport County. The Midfielder has pushed the crowd and delivered positive, attacking football – now he is being utilised on the wing.
Dunn sits amongst the top goalscorers in the divison, with 5 games in hand on most of the league. 1 goal behind current top scorer Yusuf Salech, Davis can easily overtake that mark. Davis Keillor‑Dunn is putting up one of the most statistically complete attacking seasons in League One.
Across all competitions he has played 31 matches, logging 2,352 minutes, and producing 14 goals and 1 assist. That works out to a goal every 168 minutes, or 0.53 goals per 90. His 7.02 average rating in League One places him in the top half of all 505 rated players in the division.
Cup competitions show the same consistency. In the FA Cup, he has 3 appearances, 237 minutes, and 2 goals. EFL Trophy, he’s added 1 goal in 4 games across 150 minutes. League Cup, he’s played 3 matches for 182 minutes without scoring.
The distribution of his minutes; 1,794 league, 237 FA Cup, 182 League Cup, 150 EFL Trophy, shows a player trusted across every competition and capable of sustaining output regardless of opponent or context.
In all of Cleary’s 1,133 minutes of League One football (In his career) – he already has 5 goals and 6 assists, all but one in the box. Highlighting his proficiency when cutting inside the box. Cleary has a goal contribution every 103 minutes, which puts him in the bracket of the division’s most efficient creators.
The numbers also show how well-rounded his threat is. Cleary’s not just scoring, he’s consistently supplying chances.
The wingers two penalties won underline how dangerous he is when driving at defenders. His rating data places him 5th out of 507 midfielders in the league.
Reflecting how often he influences games even when he’s not directly on the scoresheet. Reyes Clearys xG of 2.84, shows that he is clearly overstepping that mark, and elevating the reds to another level.
For a new manager, Hourihane hasn’t done the worst job. One of the fans’ biggest critisism early on was his use of substitutions. Since December, they have definitley improved. Barnsley’s 2025/26 season splits almost perfectly into two statistical phases.
Across the opening third to the start of the campaign, they struggled badly in the final half‑hour, conceding six goals after the 75th minute. The Reds have dropped eight to ten points from winning or level positions because of late collapses.
Those early months included decisive concessions at 90+2, 88, 84, and 82 minutes. In matches where the last 30 minutes swung the result, Barnsley averaged just 0.4 points per game. The pattern was clear: they faded, lost control, and couldn’t manage late pressure.
Since December, the numbers flip. Barnsley have conceded only 1 goal after the 75th minute, and instead have scored 3 late goals that directly changed results.
The clearest example is McGoldrick’s 90th‑minute winner vs Blackpool, but they’ve also turned tight games into points through late pressure rather than late collapse.
In matches where the final half‑hour has mattered since December, Barnsley are averaging 2.1 points per match. A massive swing from the early‑season pattern.
There is plenty of room to improve for Hourihane, but for his first full season, he is developing and becoming a better man-manager as it goes on.
With an average of 5.4/10 flatbreads across the entire squad this season so far, it is fair to conclude that despite showing glimpses of promise this Barnsley side are currently underperforming. It has been a tale of two halves on the pitch with the Reds defensive struggles casting a looming shadow on their outstanding attack.
We feel that Barnsley’s promotion hopes are hinged on a few key factors. The first is their activity in the January window. An already shallow squad has become threadbare after losing six players.
Hourihane needs impactful reinforcements if they are to stand any chance of picking up form in the new year. They also need to fix their defensive inconsistency.
If this team becomes a solid defensive unit, there is no reason we won’t see Barnsley making a return to the Championship come the end of the season. We know they can score goals for fun, but will they be able to keep them out?
