That was exactly my feeling too. What a long journey home that was. I remember the Man City game in 1989, the week after Hillsborough. Game was OK, but I parked up in the city and caught the bus to the ground, and couldn't find the car after the game. Took me several hours of aimless walking to locate it.
Altrincham Honourable mention for Hibs away, which was only called off after I got the car parked up near the ground about an hour prior to kick off.
Walsall away Wilson in charge December 2014 lost 3-1 we were shocking Highlight of match were some lads singing about the Wealdstone raider
Any of the matches I've ever been to at fvcking Coventry, and there have been a few of them. One time, when we had let four in, I decided I was done with aways, and I almost meant it. Ditto Hillsborough - particularly the year, for some reason, when Chris Brunt scored from an adjacent postcode. Altrincham. It p1ssed it darn all day, and a semi-professional team deservedly beat us. Johnson out! Sack him! Sack him now! I was one of about 80 who went to Cardiff on a Friday night in, I think, 2006. The horrible b&stards were still trying to get across the barrier in the terrace, and we'd only taken two bus loads because the game was on Sky. And we lost. Ipswich, lost 6-1, in the year they also beat us in the play-off final. A 92nd-minute loss at Forest under, I think, Robins. I was living in the east midlands, and got the train there. Was already getting the **** taken out of me by Forest cvnts even before the game. A 3-0 loss at Plymouth in February 2008. Four minutes gone, red card. Nyatanga? We might still be okay, so long as they don't score from the resulting free-ki... oh. It felt like a long way home - but we won at Liverpool on the Saturday. Andy Ritchie's last game, at Palace. Our coach driver had one job - please take us to Selhurst Park. Oh, you put Loftus Road in the sat-nav. Late in, and as soon as I'd sat down, Palace scored. We didn't put up much of a fight back, and Ritchie got the sack. Stockport, lost either 4-0 or 4-1, when we were in administration. I am sure Keith Curle laughed when he scored an own-goal. I went to our 'last-ever away game' at Peterborough, when the club were in serious danger of going under. Was it a 3-1 win? Sheron scored at least one. What am I going to do with my free time if there is no Barnsley?
Peterborough away. Anderson's second game in charge I think. We'd drawn 1-1 at home to West Brom on the opening day, played well and should have won. Got absolutely destroyed at Peterborough by Dominic Iorfa, lost 4-1. All of Saturday's optimism gone already, and the tone for the season was set.
Lost 1-0 away to Sheff United in Feb 1987, Tony Agana scored a last minute winner on his debut for them. They were dreadful and ended up relegated, but we were utterly abysmal from the first minute. Signed David Currie in the following week. 27th Dec 1994, lost 3-0 away at Portsmouth the day after demolishing Grimsby 4-1 at home. All. 3 goals in about first 25 mins (Gerry Creaney hat trick), Taggart carried off, and stood in torrential rain on an open terrace. 5-0 defeat at Huddersfield one of the lowest points in my time watching us.
LDV Vans Trophy game away at Bury, early 2000's, we lost 1-0. Bury took advantage of Matt Ghent's error and scored the only goal of the game, but we never looked like scoring. It was a truly awful game of football, probably the worst that I've ever seen. We got what we deserved from that match, but damn, it was just such a miserable thing to happen during a depressing period (administration) of the club.
Rhyl 2 Barnsley 0 FA Cup 2nd Rd 2nd replay, December 1970. Marine 3 Barnsley 1 FA Cup 1st Rd, November 1975. Reading 7 Barnsley 0 3rd Division, December 1979. WBA 7 Barnsley 0 2nd Division, November 1989.
Crewe 2 Barnsley 1 Easter Monday, 1978. Told the tale before. Too awful to recount. Peachey should have been sent off for being offside that many times. And Joicey missed a penalty.
I remember it well....they absolutely battered us and after the game Danny said " it could have gone either way"
Xmas 86. Portsmouth. Don't ask how, but arrived at Pompey with the worst hangover ever, wearing a dinner jacket in minus temperatures. In the uncovered end about 250 police surrounded about 200 reds fans. They stopped us going to the loo and the catering at half time. It was bloody freezing and was forced to piss on the terraces. In the last minute the ref gave the most corrupt penalty decision ever. Lost 2-1. It was too much to cope with and I completely lost all my senses and tried to climb over the fence to get to the ref. Thankfully the one reasonable copper on duty talked me down off the fence, calmed me down and prevented me having a lifelong criminal record. Not my best day.
Horrible days at Hillsborough, Walsall, Portsmouth. Taking my Uni mates to thrashings at Watford 4-0 and WBA 7-0 (where the rest of the term I had to answer to "Is that another goal?") but the worst .. Leicester away Prem Lg and Burnley away 2010 ish for very similar reasons - crap match and circumstances made all the worse by our own fans. Getting relegated at Leicester was bad enough, but the entire game was spent in a stand off (literally) with our own fans. The view was bad enough, without people standing up. What ensued can only be described as d#ckheads Vs older people. My Mum and a few older fans asked for them to sit down, and were met with abuse of the most horrible kind. Initially "we've paid we'll do what we want", but as the game progressed, it was a full on argument about "glory supporters", "being boring", etc. It just got worse and worse. My Mum and sister moved. as did a few others. I refused, and stuck the whole second half getting endless abuse from this group of lads. Same scenario at Burnley. Except me and my sisters had just been to inter my Mum's ashes in a local grave in Burnley. It was already a sad occasion. Same situation where we had the misfortune of allocated seats behind the worst kind of supporter. 3-0 defeat and 90 minutes of racist, sexist chanting, made worse by challenging it. Ashamed to be a Barnsley fan that night.
Yes I remember hearing that on the way home aswell which made it even worse as I still couldn't feel my fingers due to the baltic conditions that day. People talk about Altrincham etc but for me footballing wise I think that was the worst I've seen been following us since 97. Had scowen on the bench that day too, and Alex kimwomya playing *shudders*
2-0 at Swindon under Wilson in 14/15, our 6th away loss on the spin, possibly without scoring. Paul Digby and George Waring looking like lost puppies, utterly hopeless. 1-0 in 11/12 at that soulless griefhole, The Ricoh, under Keith Hill. Nothing happened for the whole game and then that donkey Clive Platt deflected one in off his shoulder in the 93rd minute. 5-0 at Huddersfield under Wilson in 13/14, Hammill scored for them, Brek Shea and Stephen Dawson had some beef with the understandably fuming fans. 3-0 away at Forest 17/18, they had nothing to play for but took the piss out of us. Same happened the following week at Derby, when we were relegated. There's plenty of other games that would've been up there for crapness but the company and/or boozing has made things bearable.