What was your favourite ever Barnsley season?

The Green un for results

2015 and 81/82

 

99/00. An entire season built around "screw defending, we'll just score more than you".

It was glorious to watch.

 

Loved 18/19. Managed to qet to quite a few away matches including an overnighter in Peterborough and Bristol. Accrington was a brilliant day out too, and the football we played under Stendel, particularly at the start of the season, was phenomenal.

 

I can't really narrow it down to a single season tbh, but I'm going to throw 1988/89 into the mix. Had a wonderful run towards the end of the season (finished 7th) winning 8 of our last 11. Some class players like Currie, Futcher, Beresford, steady pros like Joyce, Agnew, Baker and my own hero of the time Steve Cooper. I was 14, football was my life, we had that cup run beating Chelsea and Stoke before losing to Everton. Simple times, but I thought it was a good and entertaining side.

Also 1994/95 when Wilson took over a team that had struggled for 2 or 3 years, none of us really knew what to expect, and we turned out some of the best football seen for years, players like Liddell, Eaden and Watson given a proper chance, Davis and Taggart, O'Connell, Sheridan and Redfearn (and Wilson) in a strong midfield, and Payton up front. Finishing 6th with half the ground closed, playing the way we did, was a hell of an achievement and an early sign of things to come under Wilson a couple of years later.

 

Honestly, that season under Robins is the first and only time I've not enjoyed going to games. Particularly at the end of the season, I felt I had no connection to the squad and couldn't get enthused about going. And Hugo Colace must be the most average footballer ever to win a player of the year award. Football is a game of opinions of course.

 

Aside from the obvious one’s 2016-17 has a special place for me.

It was the first time my son had a season ticket (he was only 4!) and we played some fantastic stuff until the January fire sale. Yes it petered out in the end but for a couple of glorious months we were genuinely feared and I’m certain we would have walked into the playoffs if we’d kept the team together.

Hammill and Watkins were My sons first heroes.

That Saturday night win against Leeds, we still watch the highlights of that game on YouTube together now and again.

His first away match, Blackpool away in the cup, a 0-0 draw on a minging January day, we had a great time! Although I didn’t realise until we got home that Conor missing that absolute sitter at the end cost me a £500 win on a 13 team acca, so not all good memories!!

An Adam Armstrong winner at Rotherham lifted spirits just after we’d sold everyone, kept me dreaming a little longer, but it was never gonna happen under the circumstances.

And to top it all off some wag in the east stand lobbed a Peppa Pig at Sammy the Snake when he returned with the Massives!! The boy still laughs about that to this day.

I guess it’s more personal reasons than footballing ones. But yeah, after feeling a bit fed up for various reasons the last couple of days, I’m sat here now with a smile on my face. Bloody love this club.

 

1967/68. The first promotion side I remember watching. Crowds of over 15000 in the old 4th Division.

 

Me too.

 

I think that I am the first to choose 1967/8. A brilliant season 2 years after nearly going bust. Unbeaten at home and over 15,000 supporters in attendance for the promotion party after securing it at Chester the week before.

 

1980 81 promotion season. Great team and memories, Glavin, Banks, Hunter, Aylott, Mccarthy, so many great players. 81 82 was pretty special as well, especially the 1 nil win over Man City in front of over 34,000 at Oakwell.

 

Great choices. Two of my favourite seasons as well.

As for 2001-02 @Gravy Chips , that's one leftfield selection if ever I saw one! Take out the long unbeaten run with hardly any wins and it was shitshow after shitshow, culminating in the most pathetic performance ever against Norwich which saw us relegated with a game to spare. Hated most of that team with a passion. A proper bunch of spineless tossers.

 

Last season. Just because all the other teams were scared sh*tless of playing us for a huge chunk of the season. So satisfying

 

Closest ah came to tears that day walking out of ground..sadness at relegation and anger that some players left the field chatting and couldn't give a ****

 

I actually just felt numb about the football, and as you said, anger at the players.

Tears when leaving - that would be 1990-91 when we just missed out on the playoffs after thinking we were in. That was a great season though. Rammell, Saville, Taggart, Archdeacon, O'Connell etc. Proper honest team, with plenty of skill as well.

 

More a period than a season for me....78/79 to 81/82. Best time supporting the Reds for me personally!
Age may have had something to do with it too but there was just a constantb buzz around the place. Much better atmosphere in the ground too

 

1980-1983 before the miner's strike. So much change since those times, footy, local, national and international. Didn't know much about anything but my own backyard (Hoyland, Barnsley & Sheffield) and either Blackpool or Scarborough for a week in them days.

 

15/16 was brilliant. So many great memories, the Fleetwood away game, the final against Oxford, Wigan on the last day, both Walsall games & of course Millwall & that goal.

18/19 was great but it kind of ended a bit flat which sounds a bit daft as we got promoted. However it happened midweek when we weren’t even playing & then the last game was away at Bristol Rovers in front of only a few hundred Reds fans & then by the time the new season started Moore, Davies, Lindsay & Pinnock had all left & the manager was making it clear he was unhappy. I’m sure if I was in the crowd at Bristol I’d feel a bit different but it never felt like we had a proper promotion if that makes sense.

It just doesn’t compare to a packed Oakwell in 96/97, the Millenium stadium in 06 & Wembley in 16.

 

My first season going regularly too. We won 9 drew 9 and lost 5 at home. I only saw us lose to Birmingham 1-3 that season. Worst I've felt walking out of a match was the 3-3 with Bradford. I paid to watch us out of my EMA money mate. Sad season because we were relegated but had a decent squad. Just Parkin lost the plot.

 

That Bradford game was psychologically huge. We played really well and would have been well on our way to getting out of trouble. Plus we were very close to resigning Ward, who was the instigator of their comeback. Hadn't realised how good our home record was that season. We must have been absolutely gash away, as 36 points from home games means 14 points away is enough to keep you up. Even a very modest 20 and you're comfy in mid table.

 

I must admit, I didn't remember it that way, so I've had to check this.

So, we finished 6th in the 81/82 season behind QPR (5th), SW (4th), Norwich (3rd):

Norwich 3rd: 71 points GD +14
SW 4th: 70 points GD +4
QPR 5th: 69 points GD +22
Barnsley 6th: 67 points GD +18

So in effect the 1-0 defeat to Norwich ultimately wouldn't have made any difference to us as we would have only moved up to 5th (if the Norwich result was reversed and we had won) as our GD was inferior to QPR, but Norwich would have dropped down to 6th place! All 4 teams would have finished within 1 point of each other but that would have resulted in SW being promoted on 70 points though!