https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/2024/june/27/carabao-cup-first-round--wigan-athletic--a-/ Grudge match At least it's away.
Completely forgot about the draw, and to be honest when I saw it I just thought “meh” Pretty much the same as yesterday with the fixture release & realisation that the football calendar is never going to be the same again thanks to the new Sky deal. No new signings, just total apathy towards it all.
That was my reaction too. Partly because it's them - some of their fans have already started to regurgitate the s**t re their admin and because it would've been nice to have fresh opponents. And also because we'll inevitably consider it a low priority, not particularly bothered about whether we progress, and play U21s and fringe players. But I hate that we don't seem to take any of the cup competitions seriously. Historically, the public of Barnsley have always engaged with the cup competitions. Of the 30 largest ever crowds at Oakwell - no fewer than 20 have been in cup games. Not unnaturally given the relative longevity of the competitions, there are many more in the FA Cup - 18, including every one of the largest 10 and 2 in the League Cup (V Manchester City and V Liverpool - both in the run to the QF in 1981). Clearly, given Oakwell's reduced capacity, the biggest gates will never be challenged again - unless Oakwell is redeveloped / extended and the club experiences huge growth. I guess some might say that the club doesn't consider cups important is because the fans don't either and don't turn up but for me, the club could / should do much more to illustrate their importance - starting with team selection. I used to love a cup run.
Those days when we were getting 30,000 for Everton in the Cup and doubling our league gate for a 1st round cup tie against Hartlepool are gone. And the club's have killed them. The 30, 000 that turned out on occasion weren't there every week but they came because it was a big occasion and, more importantly, they weren't having to pay an arm and a leg to get in. BFC don't give a toss about casual supporters and haven't done for many years. They seem to forget that most people start out as a casual supporter.
They should get it played the day of the Callum Simpson fight. It worked well against Rochdale playing the first round the weekend before the league starts, but then it was just a one off.
We'll have to tread carefully if we beat them. Pies R' Us will send a 2000 page dossier to the EFL demanding our expulsion from the competition.