Barnsley FC manager Darrell Clarke’s open statement regarding the Reds’ debilitating case of homesickness in League One
The Reds’ performance at Oakwell has hindered their development over the last ten months, and they finished 2024 with a 4-0 loss to Leyton Orient, which was possibly their worst showing of the year.
Only the current bottom two teams in 2024–25, Shrewsbury and Burton, have accumulated fewer points in the third division than Barnsley, who have only won two of their last 17 home league games since late February.
Clarke said: “For me to turn the home form around – and I will do – would be one of my biggest achievements.
“Because I believe it can take a little while to get going when you enter the expectations of a club that wants to be further up the pyramid, and rightfully so, as those are my expectations.
We need to look forward to a positive year next year and make sure that our punters, who are spending hard-earned money, are going to be rewarded with good performances that are consistent at home.
“We have a massive, massive problem at home.”
Mercifully, Barnsley’s numbers on the road stand up rather better and their away record is bettered only by Wycombe in terms of points.
It helps to explain why a Christmas double-header at Bolton and Peterborough – tough though it looks on paper – is viewed as not necessarily too bad a thing.
Clarke, who held a clear-the-air meeting with his players on Sunday after the desperate Oakwell events against the O’s, added: “Let’s look at the positives.
Our away form has been pretty strong and we have two tough away games coming up at two teams that were in the play-offs last year and who are probably not having the season that they probably would have been hoping for so far this season like ourselves.
“We go into those games trying to improve.”
Clarke is ‘very hopeful’ that key midfield duo Luca Connell and Adam Phillips will be available for the Roses trip to Bolton after returning to full training on Monday.
Phillips was away following emergency dental care last week, and former Wanderers player Connell missed the weekend due to sickness.
“I am very hopeful,” said Clarke, who is missing two senior players in Josh Earl and Marc Roberts, two important defenders. We shall see. I hope they’ll be back in the running.
