Overview At the start of the 2008–09 season, Barnsley won only two of their first ten league matches and went five straight games without scoring a goal. The Reds clinched the loan signing of
Derby winger
Gary Teale for a month on 15 August, covering for the midfield injuries of
Mounir El Haimour,
Jamal Campbell-Ryce and the failure to gain international clearance for
Hugo Colace. The team received a boost the following month when Colace's work permit was finally granted, along with the return to fitness of both
Heinz Muller and
Anderson, who had been out injured for seven months. The club also made history in their away game at
Ipswich Town on 30 September when they fielded striker
Reuben Noble-Lazarus, who became the Football League's youngest ever player at 15 years and 45 days; surpassing a record which had stood since 1929. The tykes achieved their second league win of the season as they managed to beat
Doncaster Rovers 4–1 at Oakwell. However, the disappointing away form continued with a 3–0 defeat to
Crystal Palace. The following Tuesday, the Reds defeated
Sheffield Wednesday for the first time in eight years by prevailing 2–1. A 0–0 draw with Bristol City was next, the month ended with a 1–0 win over
Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium. The Reds continued their momentum in October, with an away win. This time against
Charlton. The next game, at home to
Sheffield Utd was extremely controversial. The main issue of the game was an injury to Barnsley striker
Iain Hume, who suffered a fractured skull and internal bleeding after being elbowed by
Chris Morgan. Barnsley are considering whether to pursue legal action against Morgan for the challenge which may have ended Hume's life as well as his career. Barnsley defeated
Watford, again coming from behind to win, before losing late on to play off candidates
Preston North End F.C. Despite this, on the live sky game, and almost blowing a 3–0 lead,
Burnley were beaten at Oakwell. 3–2.
Short match reports Coca-Cola Championship unless stated. ;Matchday One – Queens Park Rangers 2–1 Barnsley Barnsley's new season got off to a flying start with
Iain Hume scoring his first Barnsley goal just five minutes into his debut. However, two goals in as many minutes from
Fitz Hall resulted in a defeat despite a battling performance from the side.
Marciano van Homoet was dismissed late on for a crude challenge on
Dani Parejo. ;Carling Cup first round – Crewe Alexandra 2–0 Barnsley Two penalties from
Michael O'Connor and
Anthony Elding were enough to see Crewe through to Round Two despite a possession barrage from the Reds throughout the game. ;Matchday Two – Barnsley 1–2 Coventry City The visitors put themselves in front after ten minutes here, with a strike from
Freddy Eastwood. Captain
Brian Howard managed an equaliser just before the break, but a second half goal from
Julian Gray proved decisive.
Iain Hume was sent off late on for the hosts. ;Matchday Three – Birmingham City 2–0 Barnsley Goals from
Kevin Phillips and
Garry O'Connor were enough to see Birmingham to a 2–0 win at St Andrews despite a gallant performance from the Reds. ;Matchday Four – Barnsley 2–0 Derby County It took seventy-one minutes, but a stunning strike from
Iain Hume and a
Stephen Foster header were enough to secure Barnsley's first win of the season against struggling Derby County. ;Matchday Five – Blackpool 1–0 Barnsley A single goal by
Steve Kabba in the 86th minute sunk the Reds who had the best of the game. ;Matchday Six – Barnsley 0–1 Cardiff City Another disappointing result for Barnsley as Cardiff left Oakwell with all three points.
Peter Whittingham scored the only goal of the game following a defensive error by
Darren Moore. ;Matchday Seven – Southampton 0–0 Barnsley Another goalless performance from the Reds should have reaped reward when
Iain Hume rounded the keeper, only to shoot into the side netting. This game marked the return to fitness of
Heinz Muller and
Anderson, as well as being
Brian Howard's last game in a Barnsley shirt before his move to
Sheffield United. ;Matchday Eight – Barnsley 0–0 Norwich City Goalless again after another frustrating day for the reds.
Jon Macken missed a penalty kick in the first half. ;Matchday Nine – Ipswich Town 3–0 Barnsley Goals from
Jon Stead,
Owen Garvan and
Iván Campo heaped the pressure upon Barnsley manager
Simon Davey. The main talking point of the match, however, was
Reuben Noble-Lazarus who came off the bench to become the Football League's youngest ever player at 15 years and 45 days. ;Matchday Ten – Barnsley 4–1 Doncaster Rovers Barnsley found themselves a goal down early on in this derby match thanks to a penalty from
Brian Stock and down to ten men as
Darren Moore was sent off early in the second half. However, a headed goal from
Stephen Foster and a spectacular individual effort from
Jamal Campbell-Ryce, as well as further strikes from substitute
Jon Macken and
Iain Hume, ended their five game goal drought and made this their second win of the season. The result also equalled the Red's best result under manager Simon Davey. ;Matchday Eleven – Crystal Palace 3–0 Barnsley Another poor away performance from the Reds saw Crystal Palace ease to victory in this encounter with a first-half penalty from
Ben Watson, who scored another in the second half before
Shefki Kuqi made it three. ;Matchday Twelve – Barnsley 2–1 Sheffield Wednesday A second home derby win of the season gave the fans something to smile about here, with
Iain Hume putting his side in front after just four minutes. The Reds cause was helped with the sending off of
Tony McMahon thirty minutes later, and a second-half penalty which
Jamal Campbell-Ryce slotted home rendering
Leon Clarke's subsequent penalty a mere consolation. ;Matchday Thirteen – Barnsley 0–0 Bristol City A game the Reds should have won turned into a 0–0 draw.
Jon Macken and
Iain Hume should both have scored but were denied by
Adriano Basso. ;Matchday Fourteen – Doncaster Rovers 0–1 Barnsley Barnsley completed the early season double over Donny after a 1–0 win at the
Keepmoat Stadium. A 42nd-minute goal from
Jon Macken was enough to give the Reds all three points. ;Matchday Fifteen – Charlton Athletic 1–3 Barnsley A second successive away win for the Reds sees them rise significantly in the table.
Jon Macken open the scoring within ten minutes of play, and then scored his second on the fifteen-minute mark before
Darren Moore made it three with a headed goal before half-time.
Mark Hudson pulled one back for his team in the second half, but ultimately this was a deserved win for Barnsley. ;Matchday Sixteen – Barnsley 1–2 Sheffield United The Reds' good run came to an end at the hands of South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United
James Beattie gave the Blades the lead before
Ugo Ehiogu and
Anderson de Silva both saw red for a tangle between the two. Beattie made it two after a controversial penalty award by the linesman, following referee
Andy D'Urso's hesitation to award.
Kayode Odejayi pulled one back for Barnsley, but it was too little too late. The game was marred by a serious, life-threatening injury to Barnsley striker
Iain Hume. Hume suffered a fractured skull and internal bleeding after a shocking elbow by former Barnsley captain
Chris Morgan. ;Matchday Seventeen – Barnsley 2–1 Watford Barnsley came from behind to win the game against Watford. The away side took the lead through
Tommy Smith, but the Reds staged a fine fightback when
Miguel Mostto slammed in, and two minutes later
Stephen Foster marked his first game as Club captain with a scrambled effort. ;Matchday Eighteen – Preston North End 2–1 Barnsley Barnsley were beaten late on again.
Richard Chaplow put Preston ahead but
Jamal Campbell-Ryce responded with a shot from 20 yards. Preston weren't to be denied however and
Sean St Ledger won it in the 88th minute with a deflected shot. ;Matchday Nineteen – Barnsley 3–2 Burnley In the live Sky game the Reds defeated Burnley, but made it more difficult than it should've been.
Jon Macken put the Reds in front after eighteen minutes. The Reds made a lightning start to the second half with
Simon Whaley deflecting in
Jamal Campbell-Ryce's shot.
Diego León made it three minutes later. Burnley substitute
Martin Paterson made it a nervy last 20 minutes with two goals in four minutes. Reds keeper
Heinz Muller made two fine stops to preserve the lead. ;Matchday Twenty – Nottingham Forest 1–0 Barnsley In a tight contest, a first half goal from
Joe Garner was all that separated the two sides here. ;Matchday Twenty-One – Barnsley 0–1 Reading After a delayed kick-off Barnsley were unable to take any points from high-flying Reading, who won the match courtesy of a second-half goal from
Brynjar Gunnarsson. ;Matchday Twenty-Two – Swansea City 2–2 Barnsley After a goalless first half, a strike from
Jon Macken and a penalty from
Jamal Campbell-Ryce had the reds looking comfortable until
Jason Scotland pulled one back before grabbing the equaliser fifteen seconds from the final whistle. ;Matchday Twenty-Three – Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 Barnsley Barnsley were unable to pick up any points against high-flying
Wolverhampton Wanderers. An early own goal from
Bobby Hassell put the home side in front, and then
Kevin Foley's late strike sealed the win for the Championship leaders. ;Matchday Twenty-Four – Barnsley 2–0 Plymouth Argyle Half an hour into this match,
Simon Walton was shown a red card for a professional foul and Plymouth found themselves down to ten men. Barnsley subsequently went in front when
Jon Macken nodded home after
Anderson headed down from a
Diego León free kick, which was followed by a late penalty from
Jamal Campbell-Ryce when Leon was brought down in the box. ;Matchday Twenty-Five – Burnley 1–2 Barnsley The Reds completed their second league double of the season with a fine win at Burnley.
Jamie Cureton put the Reds in front with his first goal for the club before
Chris McCann struck to equalise. With 20 minutes left, McCann diverted
Jamal Campbell-Ryce's shot into his own net. ;Matchday Twenty-Six – Barnsley 1–1 Preston North End
Jamie Cureton gave the Reds an early lead with a delightful chip and after
Anderson de Silva hit the bar for Barnsley,
Ross Wallace equalised after a dubious free-kick award. ;FA Cup third round – West Ham United 3–0 Barnsley Goals from
Hérita Ilunga, a penalty from
Mark Noble and
Carlton Cole saw off the Reds who failed to re-create the antics of last season's FA Cup as they crashed out in the Third Round. ;Matchday Twenty-Seven – Barnsley 0–1 Southampton A late header by
David McGoldrick gave Southampton the win after the Reds dominated the majority of the game with chances from
Jamie Cureton and
Maceo Rigters going awry. ;Matchday Twenty-Eight – Norwich City 4–0 Barnsley Goals from
Wes Hoolahan, returning from Barnsley
Jamie Cureton, a penalty from
Sammy Clingan and
Darel Russell sunk the Reds as they crashed to a sickening defeat. ;Matchday Twenty-Nine – Barnsley 1–2 Ipswich Town Barnsley lost again as two early goals from
Jon Stead gave the Reds a massive uphill task but debutant
Daniel Bogdanovic gave them some hope early in the second half. ;Matchday Thirty – Bristol City 2–0 Barnsley Another defeat at
Ashton Gate as goals from
Gavin Williams and ex-Red
Michael McIndoe gave City a comfortable win. ;Matchday Thirty-One – Sheffield Wednesday 0–1 Barnsley A sensational goal by
Jamal Campbell-Ryce gave Barnsley a historic double over Sheff Wed after the earlier win in October. The real hero though, was
Bobby Hassell who made an unbelievable goal-line clearance in the dying moments to send the four thousand Reds fans home delighted. ;Matchday Thirty-Two – Barnsley 0–0 Charlton Athletic An appalling game at Oakwell ended 0–0 which left both sides in relegation mire. ;Matchday Thirty-Three – Barnsley 2–1 Queens Park Rangers The Reds took the lead with a goal created in Malta,
Michael Mifsud crossing for countryman
Daniel Bogdanovic to glance home.
Damien Delaney equalised for QPR but
Anderson de Silva smashed home just before half time to seal the win. ;Matchday Thirty-Four – Cardiff City 3–1 Barnsley The Reds recent poor form against Cardiff continued as
Joe Ledley and
Michael Chopra fired the Bluebirds into a 2–0 lead before half time. The Reds pulled one back through
Jon Macken three minutes before
Andranik was sent off.
Peter Whittingham sealed the points for Cardiff. ;Matchday Thirty-Five – Barnsley 1–1 Birmingham City A dull game lit up in the last ten minutes when
Michael Mifsud put the Reds in front with his first goal for the club. But just three minutes later
Martin Taylor equalised through hesitant defending from a free-kick. ;Matchday Thirty-Six – Barnsley 0–1 Blackpool A solitary goal on 70 minutes by Wednesday loanee
Wade Small piled the pressure on
Simon Davey as the Reds sunk into the bottom three. ;Matchday Thirty-Seven – Barnsley 3–1 Crystal Palace Palace took the lead through
Shefki Kuqi early on but goals from
Jamal Campbell-Ryce, an own goal by Palace youngster
Lee Hills and
Michael Mifsud gave the Reds a vital three points. ;Matchday Thirty-Eight – Derby County 0–0 Barnsley The Reds dominated much of the game against Derby but were left frustrated as they missed numerous chances to take all three points at Pride Park. ;Matchday Thirty-Nine – Barnsley 1–1 Nottingham Forest After a goalless first half
Jamal Campbell-Ryce gave the reds the lead in this battle between two strugglers. However, celebrations turned to frustrations when Campbell-Ryce missed from the penalty spot.
Robert Earnshaw scored the equalizer for Forest not long after. ;Matchday Forty – Sheffield United 2–1 Barnsley Barnsley looked on course to take a point from this South Yorkshire derby, yet in the last ten minutes quick fire goals from
John-Joe O'Toole and
Arturo Lupoli put the blades 2–0 up.
Jamal Campbell-Ryce then missed a penalty for Barnsley in the closing minutes, meaning that an injury time
Daniel Bogdanovic strike proved to be a mere consolation. ;Matchday Forty-One – Watford 1–1 Barnsley Further late disappointment at Vicarage Road, as
Jon Macken gave the reads the lead on 67 minutes, only for
Tommy Smith to equalize for Watford with two minutes remaining. ;Matchday Forty-Two – Barnsley 1–3 Swansea City Goals from
Ashley Williams,
Jordi Gomez and
Jason Scotland gave Swansea a comfortable win at Oakwell.
Daniel Bogdanovic scored a late consolation from the penalty spot. ;Matchday Forty-Three – Reading 0–0 Barnsley A Strong performance from the reds saw them take a crucial point against promotion chasing Reading. ;Matchday Forty-Four – Coventry City 1–1 Barnsley The reds looked like securing a vital win as
Daniel Bogdanovic gave them the lead after just nine minutes. But in the final moments of the game the referee awarded a controversial penalty for a disputed handball against
Rob Kozluk.
Elliot Ward scored to snatch a point for Coventry. ;Matchday Forty-Five – Barnsley 1–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers In their final home game of the season, Jon Macken sent the Reds on their way to a vital three points in their fight against relegation, but with six minutes remaining, Kyle Reid struck an equalizer for Wolves, earning the visitors the required point to confirm their status as the champions of the 2008/09 Coca-Cola championship. ;Matchday Forty-Six – Plymouth Argyle 1–2 Barnsley Knowing they needed only a point to secure their championship status, Barnsley fell behind at Plymouth courtesy of Gary Sawyer's header in the twelfth minute. Nonetheless, on-loan Liverpool winger Adam Hammill struck his first Red's goal to level the score ten minutes from half-time. Jamal Campbell-Ryce struck what proved to be the winner two minutes into the second half, to confirm a fourth straight season in the Coca-Cola championship. == Competitions ==