Dan - Barnsley FC; Leicester City FC

[Dan+]

April 2019

CH 40 - Barnsley vs Bristol City
Possibly the trickiest remaining game, against a side similar to ourselves - one that score and concede loads. Bristol City are pushing for a play-off place, but they face an uphill battle. We were brilliant here, we started slowly but I decided I had to really get at them and it paid dividends. Bradshaw and a double from midfielder Josh Scowen saw us win the game 3-0. A big statement. I'm confident of a top six place now.

CH 41 - Charlton vs Barnsley
Totally blew this one last year and this year looked to be going the same way when Tony Watt gave them the lead within ten minutes. We attacked in the first half but it came to little and Luke Freeman added a second just before half time. Absolutely embarrassing to crumble like this away from home yet again when we need a result. We got one back very early in the second half through Mowatt but more shoddy defending arrived soon after as Watt added his second to make it 3-1. Williams got one for us, but it wasn't enough, and we lost the game 3-2. So disappointing, yet unsurprising at the same time.

CH 42 - Barnsley vs Walsall
We have to beat these. We have no excuses. I want this game sealing as early as possible so I can lower the tempo in the second half as we have a trip to Bolton just two days later. We deliver. Bradshaw hits a couple against his former club in rapid succession and we glide through the second half, adding another couple in the process. Bradshaw with a hat-trick against the club we bought him from. It ends 4-1 to Barnsley.

CH 43 - Bolton vs Barnsley
Biggest game of the season so far. Bolton have been impressive this year and have surprised me, they sit 10th in the table which is a good effort for a newly promoted side. They start the game on fire and take a deserved lead after 10 minutes. It's more of the same from us. We were such a good away side earlier in the season now it's the same story every time. Not this time. Williams equalises and we go in level at half time. Bolton have taken the initiative again in the second half though and look more likely, but we break with 20 minutes to go and Williams crosses in for Bradshaw to prod home. The most typical Barnsley goal ever. The rest of the game is tense, but we hold out for an enormous three points, with Fulham and Sheff Weds both losing in the process. Hull win, putting them 2nd and us 3rd. Forest are promoted by beating Birmingham.

CH 44 - Barnsley vs Millwall
Must-win. This is a very favourable fixture, and like I said, we had a good run-in. Hull go to Cardiff, which is good for us as Cardiff are on fire lately. We absolutely dominate the first half, but we're foiled, Millwall have defended well and we've had little about us in the final third. 0-0 at half time, same story in Cardiff. Then on the hour, the dream - Lawrence free kick is headed in by Bradshaw for an astonishing 40th goal of the season, while Cardiff take the lead at home to Hull. We are 2nd in the table. This really could happen. The rest of the game isn't quite so one sided, and Millwall do get a couple of chances, but we hold out for another 3 points. We have hit form exactly when we needed to, and Hull ended up losing their game 2-1. We are in the driving seat.

We have Derby away and Sunderland at home.

Hull have Watford away and Forest at home.

We're above them with in my opinion, the better fixtures. Hull have got the favourites for the league, and the actual winners. OK, Watford haven't delivered, but they still have players who can damage you. We play two sides who have absolutely nothing to play for, although my record against Derby is sketchy at best, and Sunderland would love some revenge for last season.

But we could be promoted with a game to spare. That was absolutely unthinkable a few weeks ago.

[Dan+]

Hull actually have them both at home, and have beaten Watford at home 3-0. Fuck sake. Pressure back on us.

[Dan+]

 

What a thoroughly excellent job done. We dominated from start to finish. Absolutely fantastic. Faultless performance.

This is it. Beat Sunderland and we are promoted.

[Storts]

You better finish this soon @Dan only reason i'm still up 

[Storts]

1 minute ago, Cannabis said:

So that makes two of us 

 

He's a bloody tease

[Dan+]

I wish I had. Open them in order.

 

 

 

 

I've never felt so sick playing this game ever. I'm genuinely speechless. 

[Storts]

Oh my god. 

 

[Dan+]

We were garbage as well. We fell behind simultaneously so when Sunderland's goal flew in, I wasn't as angry as I ought to have been. I still fancied us.

When Forest went 3 up I thought it was about done.

I was absolutely kacking myself for the last 20 minutes, but that 3rd goal notification never arrived and I thought we were there.

I wish I could've seen my face when I saw Hull had done it.

Now I take a dejected squad to fucking Sheffield Wednesday.

I will be genuinely amazed if we win the play-offs.

[Guest]

You playing them tonight? Late over there. Good luck on this, I still remember you winning that scabby promotion with Plymouth. You do well in these.

[Dave]

That ending is amazing. Please tell me you finished your game then looked at the scores and saw that final goal come in a couple of seconds after.

[Pig on the Wing]

So now I've picked myself up after howling at imagining your little face seeing that Hull equaliser, I have to ask, has Jack O'Connell made any great strides so far? 

Monster on my game, I have so much time for him. £2m should have been a steal but it sounds like he's been a flop? 

[Dan+]

6 hours ago, Aaroncpfc said:

That ending is amazing. Please tell me you finished your game then looked at the scores and saw that final goal come in a couple of seconds after.

I knew when we had 10 men that we just weren't breaking them down, and even though I threw bodies forward I had kind of accepted we'd lost the game and I needed Forest to hold on. Full time went in my game and there had been no notification that Hull had gotten a 3rd, so I had to check again after. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw they had. I got edgy the minute they got one back. Only one way I could see it going.

 

5 hours ago, StefBWFC said:

So now I've picked myself up after howling at imagining your little face seeing that Hull equaliser, I have to ask, has Jack O'Connell made any great strides so far? 

Monster on my game, I have so much time for him. £2m should have been a steal but it sounds like he's been a flop? 

He's improved to be fair. Playing him in a 4-2-3-1 with more closing rather than 4-4-2 seems to have brought the best out of him. He's not perfect but he's definitely starting to show his worth.

[Stan]

oh my god, Dan, that is devastating.

I'm not sure if the following will work on this game, but it did for me on last season's edition.

I got to the play-offs twice in a row with my team after losing in the final the season before. in the 2nd of the 2 seasons, like you I missed out on autos through goal-difference on the final day and saw my team's squad morale go from Very Good/Superb to highs of Okay. Held a team meeting which improved some players' morale but felt it wasn't enough.

So thought I'd be a bit snidey and sly by unsettling the top scorers of the team I'd be playing in the semi-final. Can't remember who it was but it fucking worked. The guy couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo in both legs. Missed an open goal. Whether that was just luck or through my unsettling of him, who knows, but regardless I sailed through and got promoted  

[Guest]

I'm wasting my data at work just to see what happens Dan. Don't disappoint

[Dan+]

Championship play-offs first leg - Sheffield Wednesday vs Barnsley
We had no choice but to dust ourselves down and go again. We had been on the end of a crushing blow, but it was our own fault and it's our own place to rectify it. Sheffield Wednesday beat us in this fixture not too long ago, but they went into this one well off form - they lost 3-1 at relegated Rotherham on the final day of the season and they only just fell over the line themselves. It was only Swansea losing at home to Watford that kept them in the top six.

Our morale was surprisingly good going into this game. I think the game had registered it as still an over-achievement in the fact we had made the play-offs, rather than the fact we had blown the top two.

We started the brighter and looked like taking the lead, but we didn't make it count and the hosts got themselves on the front foot, forcing some fantastic saves from Arlauskis who was having the game of his life.

But first blood went our way, a very nicely worked move saw Williams play in Scowen and he rifled it into the net. 0-1!

The second half was edged by the home side and we never looked very comfortable, but we did prevent them from creating anything that clear cut, it was more long range efforts and shots from an angle. There was one more goal in this game, and it came from them. Loanee Callum Gribbin smashed a free kick straight in from 35 yards with just five minutes to go. It was an absolutely amazing goal, but it's so typical. It ended 1-1, which I wasn't too unhappy with, as I did fancy us to see this through at home.

 

Championship play-offs second leg - Barnsley (1) vs Sheffield Wednesday (1)
We go again. No repeat of Sunderland, just get out there, attack them and see the job off.

The Football League then decided to extend Pellenard's ban for another two games, putting him out for the final as well should we get there - meaning we had to continue with O'Connell at left back and Macdonald at centre half. Infuriating.

We absolutely raced out of the blocks. Williams put a cross in for Bradshaw in just the 2nd minute and he found the bottom corner with a header. We couldn't have started any better. We kept up the pressure, and totally nullified any of their attacking on the break. We had been excellent. Shortly before half time, Williams was again released down the right and his cross found Hedges who tapped into an empty net. 2-0, 3-1 on aggregate, delight for the home fans. Lets not forget that this is against our main rivals too.

The second half wasn't quite so good. We were on the back foot quite early on and yet again Arlauskis was called upon. He started slowly for us but he's starting to really turn up when he's needed most. He made another save to deny Forestieri on the hour before we cleared it and they picked the ball up again, they crossed it in to Forestieri who controlled on the edge of the box and drilled one into the bottom corner. Why is it never easy?

The rest of the game was a bit stale, but that's how I wanted it to be. We held firm and stopped them creating anything else, and we held on to book our place at Wembley for the second year running. Even despite who we've beaten, it's hard to get too carried away when there's still an element of "what are we even doing in this, we should be up by now", but I suppose in another way, we've bettered last year regardless of what we've done. It's Fulham who await us in the final. They've stolen their place from Cardiff in injury time.

 

Championship play-off final - Barnsley vs Fulham
This is such a tricky game. Fulham have a very decent side for this level, they have held onto the likes of Ayite, Sessegnon, Johansen, Aluko and Cairney, as well as adding players like Grabban. They have a stronger side than us.

This is the third game I will play where a win will guarantee me promotion. The other two were QPR and Sunderland. Is it third time lucky? What really is it that makes you triumph in this fixture? Being a West London club, or having Ismael Bennacer on your side? He ran the show for QPR against me last year, and now he sits in our midfield, ready to play in this fixture again.

Fulham start the game brighter and they look like they're going to take the lead, Ayite looking the main threat, but once again Arlauskis is on form and we deal with them, before taking some control of the game ourselves.

In the 33rd minute, the first goal of the game comes - and guess who gets it? It could only be Ismael Bennacer. He gets the ball from 20 yards and drills it into the bottom corner. Maybe he is just made for this fixture.

From then on, Barnsley amaze me. We start passing it around them like we're Bayern Munich. Dack, Scowen and Bennacer are having absolutely fantastic games, showing real quality on the ball and not allowing Fulham to get it off us. We look a team well worthy of promotion.

Then in the 44th minute, we get a free kick in our own half near the touchline. Macdonald takes it and we just knock the ball around, we slowly move up the field, keeping the ball on the ground and opening Fulham up with our movement. I count 15 passes in this move which included every player except Arlauskis and Bradshaw, and Hedges goes through one on one and finishes. It's an absolutely brilliant team goal, we're 2-0 up and look in a fantastic position to be promoted.

The second half isn't quite as one sided, but we add a third on the hour and although I'm wary that a game where a side came back from 3 down has recently hit us, I just cannot see us letting go of this. We've been absolutely brilliant and completely deserve to go up.

It gets later and later in the game and it requires more and more of a miracle from Fulham, which they don't show a single sign of producing. The final whistle is blown, and we really have done it. We have made hard work of it, but we have dealt with the play-offs superbly this year and Barnsley are back in the Premier League.

[Guest]

Congratulations, I've seen you scab through playoffs several times so I had no doubt you would do it. Good luck in the Prem, hopefully your budget is decent.

[Toony]

Well done Dan, thoroughly deserved I would say.

Going to be interesting to see how you do in the Premier League.

[Dan+]

Cheers all!

I've been given £20mil. That's pretty much bang on what I predicted.

[Stan]

Well done . Look forward to the Premier League endeavours!

Can you keep Bradshaw?!

[Guest]

Just now, Dan said:

Cheers all!

I've been given £20mil. That's pretty much bang on what I predicted.

Just raid Colombia. If you can get them work permits then they're peanuts and brilliant.

... or Czech Republic if Brexit hasn't come in course. Maybe you'll find Rada. He's about 21 in 2018

[Dan+]

6 minutes ago, Stan said:

Well done . Look forward to the Premier League endeavours!

Can you keep Bradshaw?!

I can't see anyone coming in for Bradshaw to be honest.

I can't work out how he's done so well. He's a good Championship striker but you'd expect him to manage about 20 goals in a good year. 41 is absolutely absurd.

[Dan+]

Squad review:

[Dave]

Sounds like a deserved promotion. Even if it has taken away some of the hilarity of losing second place.

I think you'll be fine in The Premiership with some more additions. So many clubs ruin their season themselves with silly managerial replacements you should be ok providing you keep competitive.

[Dan+]

You know what £20mil really isn't that much. I've got to have a bit of show of faith in a lot of these players because there really isn't a great deal of quality I can add for that.

Got to go bargain hunting.

[Dave]

Have you decided on how many players you realistically could do with?

Surely there must be some good free agents knocking about from The Premiership?