Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
We travelled all the way to Yorkshire for this chapter of the blog to see what Barnsley had to offer at their home ground, Oakwell. My great-grandmother was born and raised in Selby, a town near Barnsley, and she frequently travelled to Barnsley to see family members, so this trip held sentimental value for me. The Cheltenham Town Travel Club drove us the 120 miles up to Yorkshire. As the club left it until the very last minute to put tickets on sale, despite the 413 fans in the away contingent, I believe the attendance from the Robins contingent would have been higher had Cheltenham been a little more organised.
Elsecar Heritage Centre, Locke Park, and Barnsley Markets are just a few of the attractions in or near Barnsley. The town centre is about 10 minutes away from the stadium, so people can visit both on a match day. We went to the stadium after taking in Barnsley's offerings.
It’s All In The Name
The Tykes is the nickname for Barnsley FC. Although the word "Tyke" has overtones of a hard-working man. The club was formerly known as "The Colliers" due to the mining industry in the town before the term "Tykes" became widely used for them in the 1960s. Barnsley also goes by the moniker "The Reds" because they play in red, obviously.
Some Notable Former Players
Daniel Crowley
Rory Delap
Zeki Fryers
Jan Molby
Dave Watson
Some Notable People From Barnsley:
Dickie Bird- Cricket Umpire
Mick McCarthy- Football Manager
Tommy Taylor and Mark Jones- Munich Air Disaster Victims
CJ De Mooi- Eggheads Star
Darren Gough- Cricketer
A History Lesson With AFC Finners
Tiverton Preedy, a clergyman, started Barnsley FC in 1887 as Barnsley St Peters. Just eleven days after the club's first meeting, in September of that same year, The Reverend witnessed St Peters play their first game. Manor House was defeated 4-0 on Saturday, September 17, 1887 by Barnsley St. Peters. The name Barnsley St. Peters was shortened to Barnsley FC in 1897, and the team abandoned its brown-and-white striped uniforms in favour of plain red ones. In 1898, they joined the Football League.
In 1910, they made it to their first cup final but lost to Newcastle in the FA Cup final. Two years later, they defeated West Brom 1-0 to win their first and only major trophy to this day.
The team, which included players like Tommy Taylor and Danny Blanchflower in the 1950s, spent many years bouncing between the second and third divisions.
In the 1960s, they were demoted for the first time, and they would remain in this division for the majority of the 1970s. However, they received a promotion in 1979, and in the 1980s, they made a name for themselves in the second division.
Danny Wilson, a midfielder, was appointed manager of Barnsley in 1994 with the goal of securing the elusive top-flight spot. In 1997, Barnsley finished in second place, securing a spot in the top-flight for the first time.
Barnsley would only play in the Premier League for one season, but no one could deny that they had broken a curse they had battled with for a century.
They were demoted to the Third Division in 2002, but after winning the playoffs in 2006, they were promoted back to the Championship. They had a remarkable FA Cup run in 2008, winning at Anfield against Liverpool, eliminating the defending champions Chelsea, and losing to Cardiff City in the semi-finals.
Although they are still in League One, Barnsley has had some notable moments lately, including a Wembley double in 2016 when they won the Football League Trophy and the League One playoff final. Under the direction of Michael Duff, they hope to return to the top division after making the championship playoffs in 2021.
A little bit of trivia: With a total of 78 seasons in the second level, no club in English football has spent more time there than Barnsley.
Honours:
🏆Football League Championship (Runners-up: 1996–97)
🏆Football League One (Winners: 1933–34, 1938–39, 1954–55) (Promoted: 1980–81, 2018–19) (Play–off Winners: 2006, 2016)
🏆Football League Two (Promoted: 1967–68, 1978–79)
🏆FA Cup (Winners: 1911–12)
🏆Football League Trophy (Winners: 2015–16)
Represented Both
Over the years Cheltenham and Barnsley have shared a relationship that has seen a number of their players and management move between the clubs. Here’s a look at some of the people who have played for the two:
Martin Devaney: born in Cheltenham, Devaney is now the assistant manager of Barnsley, stepping up from first team coach this summer. He started off at Cheltenham Town where he helped them get promoted to the Football League. He was also the first Cheltenham player to score a football league hat trick. He initially moved to Watford, but was allowed to move to Barnsley in the same transfer window. I once played in a football match against Martin Devaney, and was asked to mark him, and he made me realise how unfit I was… let’s leave it at that.
Grant McCann: Mccann joined Cheltenham from West Ham United for a club record fee. He then went on to win promotion to League One with Cheltenham before moving to Barnsley in 2006, where he scored on his debut against Ipswich Town. McCann is now manager of Peterborough United.
Kayode Odejayi: Kayode (wooooaahhh)- if you know, you know. Odejayi joined Cheltenham from Forest Green Rovers in 2003. After helping Cheltenham get promoted to League One, and impressing scouts during his first season in that league, he moved to Barnsley for £200,000. Odejayi’s top moment for Barnsley was arguably his goal against Chelsea in the FA Cup, set up by… former Cheltenham man, Martin Devaney.
Ben Williams: Williams moved to Cheltenham Town from Barnsley in January 2022. He has established himself as Cheltenham’s first choice left back. He made 36 league appearances for Barnsley.
Michael Duff: Barnsley’s manager is now, Michael Duff, who was previously manager of Cheltenham Town for four years (give or take). Duff played for two clubs in his career: Cheltenham, whom he helped rise from the Southern League to League One and Burnley, where he celebrated two promotions to the Premier League, once as champions, meaning he has played in all of the top eight leagues in English Football. He went into management at Burnley U23s before moving onto Cheltenham, where he won the League Two title. He then led Cheltenham to their highest placed finish in their history (15th in League One). He then moved onto Barnsley.
Other players who have played for both include: Marley Watkins, Jack Butland, Luke Thomas and Scott Flinders.
Matchday: Barnsley 1-0 Cheltenham Town
The stadium is located in the heart of Barnsley and is right next to a leisure centre if you want to run a few laps before the game. The stadium has a club shop where fans can purchase merchandise such as replica shirts, towels, photo frames, and key rings. For £3, you can also get a pin badge.
We noticed Oakwell is a classic while doing our usual circuit of the grounds. The brickwork and design make it look like a stadium from the 1980's, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The stewards were helpful in directing us to the appropriate stand, and we were made to feel very welcome. One complaint I have is that the people selling Matchday raffle tickets appeared to have no understanding of social etiquette. We were walking around the grounds talking when the raffle ticket sellers would interrupt us by yelling 'MATCHDAY RAFFLE TICKETS' at us. I understand they are doing their jobs, but it became grating after a while.
Purchasing tickets was simple. You showed them your Matchday ticket, they scanned it, and you're in the stadium. The stadium has four stands, with away fans housed in the North Stand. Pies, hot dogs, and chocolate bars are among the foods available at the ground.
Will Boyle, a former Cheltenham Town defender, was in attendance after making his debut for Huddersfield Town the day before. His presence in the away crowd demonstrates how much a club like Cheltenham can get under a player's skin, so it was nice to see him there.
The atmosphere was pleasant but not outstanding. Aside from a small group of Barnsley fans, the crowd was relatively quiet. Given that there were over 10,000 supporters in the crowd, the atmosphere was deplorable.
Teamsheets
Barnsley
Manager: Michael Duff
Brad Collins
Jordan Williams
Callum Styles
Liam Kitching
Mads Andersen (c)
Nicky Cadden
James Norwood
Josh Benson
Luke Thomas ⚽️
Conor McCarthy
Jack Aitchinson
Substitutes
Jack Walton
Jasper Moon
Aiden Marsh
Will Hondermarck
Robbie Cundy
Devante Cole
Luca Connell
Cheltenham Town
Manager: Wade Elliott
Luke Southwood
Ryan Jackson
Charlie Raglan
Caleb Taylor
Sean Long (c)
Lewis Freestone
Liam Sercombe
Elliot Bonds
Taylor Perry
Dan N’Lundulu
Alfie May
Substitutes
Shaun Macdonald
Charlie Brown
Ellis Chapman
Dan Adshead
George Lloyd
Grant Horton
Callum Ebanks
Barnsley dominated the first few minutes. Barnsley had a lot of possession, as is typical of a Michael Duff-coached team, but they didn't do much with it. Cheltenham Town clearly looked to sit back and soak up the pressure, which seemed to suit football league debutant Caleb Taylor. They attempted to hit Barnsley on the break, with Alfie May playing on the last defender's shoulder.
Luke Thomas, a former Cheltenham Town player, had the game's first chance, which was well saved by Luke Southwood. Cheltenham also had two chances, with Dan N'Lundulu fluffing his lines when it appeared easier to score than miss, and Sean Long heading straight at Brad Collins. The halftime whistle blew, and the score was 0-0.
Barnsley had a goal disallowed in the second half. Luke Southwood mishandled a long shot, and the rebound was put in by Barnsley captain Mads Andersen, only to be ruled out for offside. Elliot Bonds of Cheltenham was struggling to keep possession in midfield, and Barnsley took advantage. Cheltenham, on the other hand, had the next chance, with George Lloyd crossing for Alfie May, who put it over the bar. As the game progressed, it became clear that the best Cheltenham could hope for was a draw; however, Barnsley struck first, thanks to a good long-range goal by Luke Thomas.
Barnsley had one final chance when Liam Kitching ran past three Cheltenham players as if they weren't there before firing over the bar. The final score was 1-0 in favour of Barnsley. If Barnsley can find that cutting edge to go with their possession, they should be able to beat teams with relative ease, whereas Cheltenham has the foundations of a good side in place, but Wade Elliott has a long way to go before he can be successful in his new role at the club.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 4/10
Food and Drink: 5/10
Stadium: 7/10
Welcome: 7.5/10
Overall Experience: 7/10
GG
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