Barnsley are surprising a lot of people this season in the Sky Bet Championship and in a very positive way too. They currently sit 5th in the table and do so on merit.
They’ve gone from nearly being relegated last season to becoming realistic challengers for a chance of promotion to the Premier League. That turnaround managed in under a season – a season led by new boss Valerien Ismael.
The former LASK and VfL Wolfsburg boss has come in and pretty much revolutionised the way that Barnsley play their football.
READ: Comment: Bournemouth’s only hope of holding onto star man is Premier League promotion
Barnsley – a side standing out and mucking in
The South Yorkshire side are an outfit that stands out and does so because every player in the team plays his part – they all muck in.
They are both fearless and tireless and play both these cards with equal aplomb to take their brand of football to opponents and bring back the three points from them.
That isn’t to say that they run opponents into the ground, they are also a side with a degree of skill and finesse to ally with their fitness and overwhelming style of play.
Leading the scoring chart is Cauley Woodrow with 11 goals and 5 assists. He is ably assisted by club captain Alex Mowatt with 8 goals and 7 assists. One player who is making huge strides is American phenom Daryl Dike who has 8 goals in just 14 appearances since signing on loan for the Tykes from Orlando City SC.
Barnsley are Nixon’s choice for Championship Play-Off winners
For the Sun’s Alan Nixon, his choice for winners of the Championship Play-Offs is Barnsley. That can be seen in the following exchange with fans on Twitter:
@reluctantnicko Bournemouth gaining momentum will they win the play offs?
— Michael Ponchaud (@ponchafcb) April 10, 2021
Wouldn’t be my personal choice https://t.co/0rkOUyYxen
— Alan Nixon (@reluctantnicko) April 10, 2021
Who would be
— sixpack! (@jameswonnacott2) April 10, 2021
Nobody will want to play Barnsley…like being at Rorke’s Drift. https://t.co/HImLhk7Ug6
— Alan Nixon (@reluctantnicko) April 10, 2021
That final comment from Nixon that facing Barnsley would be “like being at Rorke’s Drift” is aimed at that impression that like the massed ranks of Zulu warriors, the Tykes come in waves and just keep coming…and coming…and coming.
