Barnsley: Nottingham Forest, Brentford magic will go down in Oakwell folklore – View.

Despite the fact that international disturbances prevented supporters from witnessing Gerhard Strubers’ side’s exploits in person, the finish of the 2019/20 Championship season will live on in Barnsley history.

Barnsley avoided relegation to League One after scoring last-minute victory against promotion-chasing Nottingham Forest and Brentford. Brentford missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League during their last regular season game at Griffin Park.

The 2019/20 Championship resumed with Barnsley bottom of the Championship.

The 2019/20 Championship season was suspended in March 2020 as a result of the Covid epidemic sweeping the United Kingdom. The EFL re-started the season in late June, with Barnsley returning to action on June 20, 2020, lying bottom of the league and seven points from safety.

In November 2019, Gerhard Struber took over as manager after Daniel Stendel was removed owing to the team’s dismal start in the Championship.

The new Tykes manager had began to reverse the tide at Oakwell ahead of the forced season break, and when the second tier returned, he breathed fresh life into their chances of staying up, with a 1-0 win away at QPR in the first game back being the ideal way to restart the survival fight.

Barnsley’s prospects for a Championship future remained alive with two games remaining, but the odds were still stacked against them, given those two games were against teams vying for Premier League promotion. Nottingham Forest were in a play-off place, while Brentford hoped for automatic promotion.

The Tykes would end their home season at Oakwell against Forest before travelling to Griffin Park to face the Bees, who were in their final season before moving to their new home, the Brentford Community Stadium.

Barnsley leaves it late for fell Forest.

Barnsley headed into their last game of the season at home against Forest knowing that only a win would give them a chance of survival and carry their destiny into the final game at Brentford three days later.

Meanwhile, the visitors knew a point would ensure a play-off spot, but their recent form had abandoned them, with three draws and two losses in their previous five games. There was so much at stake on both sides.

Barnsley controlled possession and generated over 20 opportunities, hitting the post and bar, but were unable to make a breakthrough as the clock approached 90 minutes. Struber threw the dice after halftime, bringing in Austrian attacker Patrick Schmidt and top scorer Cauley Woodrow in the hopes of finding a winning combination.

As the game entered the 93rd minute and all hope seemed dead, Schmidt became an instant hero, tapping the ball home for his third goal of the season. The Barnsley bench exploded, with Struber and the substitutes dashing onto the Oakwell grass to celebrate with Schmidt and the rest of the squad in euphoric scenes; the only downside for the Tykes being that the stadium was not full to rejoice with the team.

Barnsley’s resilience led them to the last game of the 2019/20 season against Brentford, who were certain of automatic promotion to the Premier League if they won.

Barnsley again saved themselves at the death

A do-or-die game awaited Barnsley at Griffin Park, with the Tykes facing the Bees. Barnsley calmed their anxieties in the first half when Callum Styles scored, putting the Tykes ahead at halftime. Brentford, on the other hand, drew level with 17 minutes remaining when Josh Dasilva blasted home.

Brentford needed four points from their final two games to finish second and earn promotion to the Premier League. Brentford suffered a 1-0 loss to Stoke City four days before the Barnsley encounter, putting pressure on Thomas Frank. Both teams wanted a win for very different reasons, and as the game entered the last minutes, Barnsley’s unlikely hero emerged.

Schmidt sent in a fantastic cross into the Brentford six-yard box that evaded everyone but defender Clarke Oduor, who was unmarked at the far post and couldn’t miss to win the game for Barnsley. The Barnsley team was ecstatic at the end of the game, and it was hard to believe that the Tykes had not once, but twice, scored last-gasp winning goals to avoid relegation in the last two games of the season.

Brentford were relegated to the play-offs, and although defeating Swansea City in the semi-finals, the Bees were defeated by Fulham at Wembley Stadium and failed to advance.

The Yorkshire club waited anxiously for news of survival as Wigan Athletic disputed the EFL’s 12-point sanction for entering administration. Barnsley remained one point ahead of Charlton Athletic and two points ahead of Wigan after the Latics’ failed appeal.

No Barnsley fan will ever forget Gerhard Struber’s stay as manager and the magical endings to the final two games against Nottingham Forest and Brentford, which will go down in Oakwell history.

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