What Do Barnsley Need Before the Transfer Window Ends?

The Super Reds start to the season has been positive enough to suggest that they could be in the mix up near the top end of League One come the end of the season.

Under Reds Legend Connor Hourihane, performances have carried a sense of energy, while the squad has shown a lot of resilience in testing moments. Yet as encouraging as the opening weeks have been, there are still glaring gaps in a side looking to finally claw their way out of League One after several seasons of stagnation or even regression.

The two most pressing areas of the team are at the heart of defence and up top, where issues of balance and sustainability threaten to undo some of the excellent work put in so far.

The injury to Marc Roberts has highlighted the urgent need for a centre back. Jack Shepherd and Josh Earl have been tasked to form a partnership in the centre of defence, but both are naturally left footed and that lack of balance has been glaringly obvious for all to see.

Shepherd is a player that Barnsley clearly believe in, having been slotted straight into the side after a standout loan spell at Bradford, where he looked a cut above in League Two.

Yet, this is a different level, and being asked to play on the right side has highlighted his inexperience. He has shown flashes of promise, strong in the air, aggressive in his duels, but there have also been moments where his positioning has been questionable and his passing terrible, and better forwards in this division will punish those momentary lapses. At the moment he looks as though League Two may be his ceiling.

Earl, meanwhile, despite performing better than Shepherd is a much more frustrating case given that we know he has the ability. Despite his ability to slice open defences with long diagonals and break lines on the ball, his decision making in the early part of the season has been poor and he has been laboured on the ball. Rather than being a calm influence, he has often been found slowing down transitions and sapping momentum from attacks. He has looked hesitant, often being caught on the ball. He also doesn’t seem to want to challenge for a header and this has gifted the opposition several chances in the opening weeks.

What the reds are crying out for is a pacey centre back comfortable on the ball, reliable under pressure and naturally suited to a back four. Not only would that bring composure to an error prone defence, but it would also allow Hourihane’s side to build attacks with more fluency from back to front.

At the other end of the pitch, the issue is not quality but sustainability. David McGoldrick has been nothing short of superb in these opening weeks. Even at 37, he remains one of the most intelligent forwards in the division: dropping deep to link play, pressing, spinning in behind when needed and still possessing the technical quality to decide games.

That being said, the obvious question is how long Barnsley can keep leaning on him to spearhead their attack. McGoldrick is not built for a 46-game grind anymore. Asking him to start twice a week, to constantly lead the line and provide the cutting edge feels unsustainable. At some point, his minutes may need managing, and when that time comes Barnsley currently look short of an alternative. The young lad Farrell does look good but is he ready for regular minutes in a team hoping to push for promotion?

They are currently lacking a striker who offers something different. Ideally someone with the pace to stretch a defence, a willingness to run channels and the physicality to occupy defenders when games become tight and scrappy, I’m not asking for much, I know. They need someone that can share the positions with the two wide players in the front three and be there to finish chances when they come. With such an addition, McGoldrick could be used more intelligently, with his minutes tailored to get the best from him across a long season rather than having a front three that burns out by Christmas.

Barnsley don’t require a major overhaul. This isn’t a squad in crisis, nor one without talent. League One seasons are often defined by what happens when injuries and suspensions come along, a good sides promotion push is often derailed by patchy form due to lack of depth. Right now, Barnsley’s defence looks brittle, and their attack seems overly reliant on a veteran who cannot be expected to shoulder the burden indefinitely.

The final days of the window represent an opportunity. Secure a commanding centre back or two and a forward to ease McGoldrick’s load and the Barnsley squad suddenly looks more balanced, robust and capable of sustaining their early momentum.

The margins are fine, but in a division as competitive as League One, fine margins are often the deciding factor.

COYR