# 2024–25 Barnsley F.C. season

The 2024–25 season is the 138th season in the history of Barnsley Football Club and their third consecutive season in League One. In addition to the domestic league, the club would also participate in the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the EFL Trophy.
Prior to the season commencing, Barnsley announced that Luca Connell would be the new club captain, replacing Jordan Williams who joined Portsmouth on a free transfer after his contract expired at the conclusion of 2023/24. The returning Marc Roberts was named the vice-captain for the 2024-2025 season.
2024/25 is the third consecutive season in League One for Barnsley after defeat in the playoffs in the previous two seasons.
Despite battling against comparatively poor form at home, Barnsley competed in and around the top six until the turn of the year, looking well set for a third consecutive playoff campaign.
However form then suffered greatly, and after at one point being several points clear of the teams just outside the playoff positions, found themselves down in tenth, trailing the team in sixth, Huddersfield Town, by six points having played a game more than them, by mid-February.
Given Barnsley failed to bring in sufficient numbers of the desperately needed signings they sought in the winter transfer window, in particular to bolster their centre forward ranks; unless they manage to find options amongst free agents, prospects for the rest of the season seem limited to an upper mid-table finish at best, with even this being far from a guarantee; inevitably meaning a continuation of the season upon season decline they have suffered in recent years.
In March 2025, Barnsley F.C released a club statement to announce that Head Coach Darrell Clarke has left the club. Conor Hourihane will take charge of the first-team until the end of the season. He will be assisted by Jon Stead and Martin Devaney alongside Tom Harban.
The club seem destined to be playing in a fourth successive League One campaign in 2025/26.

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Player | From | Fee |
| 1 July 2024 | CM | Conor Hourihane | Derby County | Free |
| 3 July 2024 | CB | Marc Roberts | Birmingham City | Free |
| 9 July 2024 | GK | Jackson Smith | Walsall | Undisclosed |
| 17 July 2024 | CB | Connor Barrett | Sheffield United | Free |
| 17 July 2024 | CM | Callum West | Burnley | Free |
| 2 August 2024 | LB | Georgie Gent | Blackburn Rovers | Undisclosed |
| 12 August 2024 | CM | Kelechi Nwakali | Chaves | Undisclosed |
| 30 August 2024 | CF | Stephen Humphrys | Wigan Athletic | Free |
| 30 August 2024 | AM | Davis Keillor-Dunn | Mansfield Town | Undisclosed |
| 3 January 2025 | LM | Neil Farrugia | Shamrock Rovers | Free |
| 13 February 2025 | LW | Jonathan Lewis | Colorado Rapids | Free |
* ↑ The transfer was announced on 6 June and would become official on July 1 once his Derby County contract expired
* ↑ Signed initially for the Under-21s
* ↑ Signed initially for the Under-21s

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Player | To | Fee |
| 24 July 2024 | CF | Oli Shaw | Hamilton Academical | Undisclosed |
| 24 August 2024 | LM | Callum Styles | West Bromwich Albion | Undisclosed |
| 22 January 2025 | CM | Matty Wolfe | Sligo Rovers | Free |
| 3 February 2025 | GK | Ben Killip | Portsmouth | Undisclosed |

### Loaned in

| Date | Pos. | Player | From | Date until |
| 22 July 2024 | DM | Matthew Craig | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 January 2025 |
| 9 August 2024 | GK | Gabriel Slonina | Chelsea | 1 January 2025 |
| 30 January 2025 | GK | Joe Gauci | Aston Villa | End of Season |
| 3 February 2025 | RB | Dexter Lembikisa | Wolverhampton Wanderers | End of Season |
| 3 February 2025 | CF | Clément Rodrigues | Bastia | End of Season |
* ↑ On 9 January, Craig was recalled back to Tottenham
* ↑ On 1 January, Slonina returned to Chelsea early due to injury

### Loaned out

| Date | Pos. | Player | To | Date until |
| 1 July 2024 | CF | Andrew Dallas | Barrow | 15 January 2025 |
| 1 August 2024 | CB | Jack Shepherd | Bradford City | End of Season |
| 29 August 2024 | CB | Kacper Łopata | Ross County | End of Season |
| 1 October 2024 | GK | Jackson Smith | Grimsby Town | 22 October 2024 |
| 17 January 2025 | CF | Aiden Marsh | Raith Rovers | End of Season |
| 31 January 2025 | CM | Vimal Yoganathan | Oldham Athletic | End of Season |
| 31 January 2025 | CF | Andrew Dallas | Morecambe | End of Season |
| 3 February 2025 | CF | Sam Cosgrove | Stockport County | End of Season |
| 3 February 2025 | RB | Kyran Lofthouse | Burton Albion | End of Season |
* ↑ The loan was announced on 27 June, and would officially commence on July 1
* ↑ On 15 January, Dallas was recalled back from his loan at Barrow
* ↑ On 8 October, 15 and 22 October, Smith's emergency loan at Grimsby was extended by a further 7-days

### Released / Out of Contract

| Date | Pos. | Player | Subsequent club | Join date |
| 30 June 2024 | CB | Jordan Williams | Portsmouth | 1 July 2024 |
| 30 June 2024 | CM | Herbie Kane | Huddersfield Town | 2 July 2024 |
| 30 June 2024 | CM | Joe Ackroyd | Guiseley | 9 July 2024 |
| 30 June 2024 | CB | Robbie Cundy | Notts County | 26 July 2024 |
| 30 June 2024 | CF | Devante Cole | West Bromwich Albion | 31 July 2024 |
| 30 June 2024 | LM | Nicky Cadden | Hibernian | 6 August 2024 |
| 30 June 2024 | CF | Mylan Benjamin | | |
| 30 June 2024 | CB | Danny Benson | Matlock Town | 30 August 2024 |
| 30 June 2024 | GK | Paul Cooper | Buxton | 24 August 2024 |
| 30 June 2024 | CB | Alex Joof | Brighouse Town | 6 September 2024 |
| 30 June 2024 | CB | Joshua McKay | | |

## First-team coaches and staff

| Role | Name |
| Head Coach | Darrell Clarke |
| Assistant Head Coach | Martin Devaney |
| First-Team Coach | Jon Stead |
| First-Team Coach | Conor Hourihane |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Thomas Fawdry |
| Head of Sports Science | Matt Cook |
| Sports Scientist | James Walsh |
| Head Physiotherapist | Vacant |
| Club Doctor | Dr John Harban |
| Performance Analyst | Tom Yeomans |
| Performance Analyst | Ed Davies |
| Head of Football Operations and Club Secretary | Ann Hough |
| Academy Manager | Bobby Hassell |
| U21 Manager | Tom Harban |
| U18 Manager | Nicky Eaden |

## Pre-season and friendlies

On 24 May, Barnsley announced their first pre-season friendly, against Accrington Stanley. A month later, the club confirmed their pre-season schedule with fixtures against Alfreton Town, RCD Mallorca and Derby County. On 4 August, a final friendly was confirmed, against Roma.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Competitions
### League One
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 8 | Reading | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 51 | 45 | +6 | 58 |
| 9 | Leyton Orient | 36 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 51 | 37 | +14 | 53 |
| 10 | Barnsley | 36 | 15 | 7 | 14 | 50 | 51 | −1 | 52 |
| 11 | Blackpool | 36 | 12 | 15 | 9 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 51 |
| 12 | Stevenage | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 34 | 37 | −3 | 48 |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 8 March 2025. Source: Soccerway

#### Matches

On 26 June, the League One fixtures were announced.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### FA Cup

Barnsley were drawn away to Port Vale in the first round and at home to Bristol Rovers in the second round.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Cup

On 27 June, the draw for the first round was made, with Barnsley being drawn away against Wigan Athletic. In the second round, they were drawn at home to Sheffield United. In the third round an away tie against Manchester United was confirmed.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Trophy

In the group stage, Barnsley were drawn into Northern Group F alongside Doncaster Rovers, Huddersfield Town and Manchester United U21.
| Pos | Div | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | L2 | Doncaster Rovers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 7 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 2 | L1 | Huddersfield Town | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 6 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 3 | ACA | Manchester United U21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 5 | |
| 4 | L1 | Barnsley | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 | |
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    As of match played 8 March 2025
Players with no appearances are not included on the list Italics indicate a loaned in player
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | League One | League One | FA Cup | FA Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Trophy | EFL Trophy |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 2 | DF | IRL | Barry Cotter | 21 | 0 | 11+5 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 3 | MF | JAM | Jon Russell | 36 | 6 | 25+5 | 6 | 1+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Marc Roberts | 32 | 4 | 26+2 | 3 | 2+0 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | USA | Donovan Pines | 26 | 3 | 16+7 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | FRA | Maël de Gevigney | 36 | 0 | 31+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 7 | DF | IRL | Corey O'Keeffe | 38 | 0 | 30+3 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Adam Phillips | 33 | 10 | 27+1 | 9 | 1+1 | 1 | 2+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Sam Cosgrove | 22 | 1 | 8+11 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Josh Benson | 14 | 0 | 0+11 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | POR | Fábio Jaló | 12 | 0 | 0+9 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 12 | GK | ENG | Jackson Smith | 5 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | USA | Jonathan Lewis | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Kyran Lofthouse | 24 | 0 | 3+14 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Georgie Gent | 30 | 1 | 19+6 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | AUS | Joe Gauci | 4 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Aiden Marsh | 12 | 1 | 0+7 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 |
| 20 | DF | JAM | Dexter Lembikisa | 6 | 0 | 0+6 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | IRL | Conor McCarthy | 17 | 0 | 9+4 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | IRL | Neil Farrugia | 8 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | ENG | Callum West | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 29 | DF | IRL | Connor Barratt | 6 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | WAL | Jonathan Bland | 3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Harrison Nejman | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Josh Earl | 34 | 2 | 29+0 | 2 | 2+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 33 | FW | FRA | Clément Rodrigues | 5 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 34 | DF | ENG | Oliver Wilkinson | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 35 | DF | POL | Kacper Łopata | 2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 36 | FW | ENG | Max Watters | 26 | 6 | 15+7 | 5 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 40 | MF | ENG | Davis Keillor-Dunn | 34 | 14 | 32+0 | 13 | 2+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 41 | MF | NIR | Bayley McCann | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 42 | FW | ENG | Luke Alker | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 43 | FW | MSR | Josiah Dyer | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 44 | FW | ENG | Stephen Humphrys | 33 | 4 | 20+9 | 4 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 45 | MF | WAL | Vimal Yoganathan | 10 | 2 | 1+4 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 2 |
| 47 | MF | ENG | Ziggy Kozluk | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 48 | MF | IRL | Luca Connell | 36 | 2 | 29+2 | 2 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 50 | MF | NGA | Kelechi Nwakali | 21 | 1 | 9+9 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 51 | GK | ENG | Kieran Flavell | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| Player(s) who featured whilst on loan but returned to parent club during the season: ||||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | USA | Gabriel Slonina | 14 | 0 | 11+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | SCO | Matthew Craig | 16 | 0 | 10+4 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| Player(s) who featured but departed the club permanently during the season: ||||||||||||||
| 14 | MF | IRL | Conor Hourihane | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 23 | GK | ENG | Ben Killip | 21 | 0 | 17+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |