Football Season Review

Barnsley can be pleased with their first season back in the Championship despite their overall position of 14th. This lower mid-table spot is mainly down to a poor last three months where they failed to match their performances in the first part of the campaign. Paul Heckingbottom's side were rather fearless early on in the campaign and a bold, brave approach earned them many plaudits. They were upset though by the sales of Conor Hourihane, James Bree and Sam Winnall midway through the season and that, combined with an apparently obvious final mid-table spot being known early, were primary causes in their slump. Barnsley's policy of late has been to buy young players and then sell them so continuity must be some problem. They also were surprisingly poor at Oakwell this season given how well they have performed at their home ground in recent seasons. Just staying up in itself is an achievement in itself so in that regard this must be considered a positive campaign despite the disappointing finish. The Tykes were especially strong at the back with Marc Roberts and Angus MacDonald excelling but they are extremely unlikely to hold on to the former.

Player of the Season: Marc Roberts