Analysis of Barnsley’s 2-1 win at home to Rotherham United in the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday. After the Millers had the lead at the break, goals by Jon Russell and Adam Phillips secured the victory.
ONE-SIDED DERBY SEQUENCE GOES ON AFTER COMEBACK
THE LAST time Rotherham won at Barnsley, in August 1970, England captain Bobby Moore was about to be cleared of stealing a necklace while at that summer’s World Cup, Elvis’ The Wonder of You was number one in the UK and the Royal Navy had stopped issuing daily rations of ‘grog’ to sailors days earlier.
The Millers have since played 16 games across 55 years at their neighbours’ ground and not won any of them, while they have not beaten Barnsley home or away in 14 attempts since 1982 – including seven successive losses.
That sorry record looked likely to end at half-time in Tuesday’s EFL Cup tie after they netted their first goal at Oakwell since November 2005 but the Reds produced an impressive comeback victory to continue surely one of the most dominant derby sequences in football.
Rotherham had played fewer games – their match with Burton last week was called off – and done less travelling than the Reds who played in Wimbledon on Saturday after the Millers’ lunchtime fixture at home to Wigan. Barnsley made seven changes from the weekend and Rotherham three, with Conor Hourihane again choosing to only select seven of nine possible substitutes and not give a place on the bench to players from the under 18s or under 21s who both also played that day.
It was certainly the Millers who looked the more comfortable side in the first half when they should have scored several goals against a pedestrian, disjointed and error-strewn home team.
Rotherham boss Matt Hamshaw, who lives in Elsecar and was Hourihane’s coach at Derby, and his ex-Red assistant Dale Tonge, from Goldthorpe, are operating on a tighter budget after Steve Evans’ ill-fated transfer splurge last summer.
They were six points behind the Reds in the league following a poor run after an opening day win.
Although he did not shout at his team at the break, some words from Hourihane and the introduction of Adam Phillips – who scored the winner – and Nathanael Ogbeta, who was involved in the build-up to both goals, turned the tide.
The Reds played with far more energy and quality, overwhelming their visitors and showing excellent character to bounce back from Saturday’s first loss of the season and deservedly win.
THIRD ROUND AGAIN FOR REDS
Barnsley have reached the third round of the EFL Cup in back-to-back seasons for the first time since they got there five times in a row from 1997 to 2001.
The games against Fleetwood and Rotherham, although challenging with a small squad, have given gametime to some fringe players, and generated the simple but profound satisfaction of winning a football match.
Now they can hope for a third round tie against one of the biggest clubs in the country in Wednesday’s draw, which would be a boost for the squad’s morale and club’s finances.
Taking ten points from the opening five games – and getting through to the third round of the EFL Cup – is certainly a positive start to what was billed as a transitional season.
It has been a brutal August with eight games and a transfer window but, after Saturday’s match and Monday’s deadline day, September is quieter with just three scheduled league games after a two-week international break.
After one more big effort in another all-Yorkshire clash against Huddersfield, they will hope to give players a rest, strengthen the squad in the window and work on the training ground on some of the early season issues.
UNBEATEN HOME START VITAL
Barnsley have played four games at Oakwell this season, winning three and conceding a late equaliser to Bolton in the other having played for about half of it with ten men.
It is early days, and two of those matches were in the cup in front of low crowds, but the Reds are starting to build a little bit of momentum at home after two very difficult seasons there.
The next two games, against high-flying neighbours Huddersfield on Saturday then two weeks later against Reading who are winless but have a superb record at Oakwell, might tell us more about whether the home hoodoo is truly being exorcised.
But for now it is just good to see the team regularly winning games on their home turf where there is a much more positive atmosphere.
Hourihane’s name is regularly sung around the terraces and, even when the team faces adversity or have played poorly, the fans have got behind them this season.
MIDFIELD CLASS SHOWS WITH GOALS
Barnsley’s midfield quality turned the game around as they scored two goals with their first two shots on target.
Jon Russell barely celebrated after audaciously flicking in the leveller following a fine move on the left, perhaps because he thought he was offside. But it has also been a tough season for the gifted Jamaica international who, despite scoring seven goals in his last seven starts for the Reds, has not started any of the five league games so far with just 55 minutes of action.
Hourihane insists that does not mean he will leave before Monday’s transfer deadline but a six-figure bid will surely tempt a club keen to generate money, with Russell only having a year left on his contract and not always suiting their high-energy style.
Russell had couple of opportunities to lead a counter-attack but hesitated on the ball and it came to nothing.
The head coach is desperate to keep hold of the other scorer Phillips, unsurprisingly after the midfielder moved onto 34 goals with almost as many assists in 138 games.
He is an outstanding League One player who seems to be back on track after a dip in form earlier in 2025. If a bid comes in which hits Barnsley’s valuation and he chooses to leave, he would be extremely hard to replace.
Phillips replaced Vimal Yoganathan who had completed 33 out of 34 passes in the first half but was part of a more ponderous and unbalanced midfield.
Phillips’ goal came from Ogbeta ‘inverting’ into the middle of the pitch which has worked well for the Reds this season.
COOPER SAVE KEY MOMENT
Possibly the most important moment of the match was just before the hour-mark when, after Mael de Gevigney made a mess of a headed clearance and Ogbeta lost a tackle, Shaun McWilliams’ 20-yard shot looked destined for the top right corner.
But, as so often this season, Murphy Cooper rescued the Reds with an excellent touch onto the crossbar and, about ten minutes later, his side were in the lead.
Cooper had also made some big saves in the first half although, if we are being hyper-critical, he may be slightly disappointed he did not keep the goal out.
He did keep out a shot by Liam Kelly with the final action of the match after a bizarre spell of several minutes when Millers goalkeeper Cameron Dawson was often in the Barnsley box.
In front of Cooper, this was one of the better performances from a Barnsley centre-back pairing so far this season. Jack Shepherd – back on his natural left side after a spell on the right – and Connor Barratt both made excellent clearances off the line during Rotherham’s early onslaught and had steady games overall.
Barratt, on just his fourth professional start, made the most passes with a 93 per cent accuracy while also making the most clearances and winning the most headers.
The defence could still have been breached several times but that was more due to mistakes in midfield or by the full-backs.
De Gevigney returned after four games out with injury and was put at right-back where he struggled to contain the lively Ar’jany Martha, including for the away goal, and made several errors which led to chances for the Millers. Although he was rusty after injury, there have to be doubts over whether the Frenchman can play at right-back against a skilful winger.
Neil Farrugia started at left-back, where he made some mistakes but also battled hard and produced crucial clearances, then thrived on the right wing in the second half as he gave the Reds fans their first real glimpse of his ability. As a left-footer on the right, he can beat defenders inside and out and assisted the winner while he could have scored himself.
Teenage midfielder Jono Bland perhaps epitomised the game as he looked overwhelmed in the first half but improved massively in the second and helped to dictate play.
Davis Keillor-Dunn, playing as a central striker, continued a run of matches where he has not looked as threatening as last season and often loses the ball deep in his half.
He has had to play every game, due to Barnsley’s small squad, as has Caylan Vickers who again impressed in the second half as he caused real problems for Rotherham’s right side.
Leo Farrell, the tall 19-year-old striker, came on and showed good hold-up play and attitude.
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