By Harry Jones
January 19 2026

Here are some talking points from Barnsley's 2-1 win over Blackpool at Oakwell.

 

 

David McGoldrick still has it

A 38-year-old David McGoldrick scored a brace including a 93^rd minute winner to give Barnsley a valuable three points on Saturday. It's fair to say the veteran still has it when it comes to finding the back of the net. At the end of the day, is it surprising? McGoldrick was coming into this season off the back of a League Two campaign where he scored 17 goals in 37 appearances for Notts County. The forward was clearly going to be able to contribute to Barnsley’s 2025/26 season and contribute he has done, as his last-minute winner has given Barnsley a little breathing space above the League One bottom four, and has given The Reds the belief they may be able to climb the table as games come thick and fast over the next few months. Barnsley Head Coach Conor Hourihane revealed post-match that McGoldrick wasn’t even meant to start the match, only coming into the team due to top scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn suffering with illness. However, McGoldrick is always ready when called upon, and he led the line brilliantly with some great hold up play and took his goals well with calmness and experience. For his first, he pounced upon a misplaced Bailey Peacock-Farrell pass and guided the ball into a vacant net. For his second, he ran up the pitch in the 93^rd minute and finished excellently after beating a Blackpool defender following great work from Patrick Kelly. There had been allegations that McGoldrick’s legs had gone, and after not scoring in the league since August, Saturday’s showing demonstrates that there is still a player many other League One sides would happily take. Off the pitch, McGoldrick offers so much to Barnsley’s young squad in terms of leadership and experience, and it may not be the worst idea to offer McGoldrick another year if the veteran decides to give it one more season in the EFL. He has seven goals in all competitions this season, all at Oakwell interestingly, and provides another option off the bench if needed.

 

New additions generally impress

On the whole, debutants Owen Goodman and Eoghan O’Connell had solid first appearances for Barnsley. It was surprising when it was announced earlier in the week that Barnsley had sent on loan goalkeeper Murphy Cooper back to QPR, considering he had been an ever-present for The Reds this season. However, Hourihane wanted to freshen up the backline, so Owen Goodman arrived from Crystal Palace on loan. The last time Goodman appeared at Oakwell, it was for Huddersfield in August when he had a tough afternoon, which ended in the first half when he raced out of his box for a long ball, missed it and clattered David McGoldrick in the head before being dismissed with a red card. Reviews of the 22-year-old from fans of the West Yorkshire club weren’t exactly rave, so it was interesting to see how Goodman would perform on Saturday. He did spill a few early crosses at the first attempt, however on the whole had a really solid debut. On the 24^th minute, he made a key save to deny Tom Bloxham inside the box, and made another save in the first half to stop a clean strike. There was nothing Goodman could do about Blackpool’s goal which took a deflection, and the goalkeeper showed promise on his Oakwell debut. As for Eoghan O’Connell he also had a good afternoon on the whole. The 30-year-old completed 66 passes for Barnsley, which was the most in the match, as the ball-playing defender looked calm when passing out from the back, often dribbling up with the ball before passing smoothly to a teammate. O’Connell was bailed out however by fellow debutant Goodman when he made a mess of a ball played down the channel, but other than that the former Wrexham defender showed that he may be the experienced defender Barnsley where crying out for.

 

Corey O’Keeffe brings new energy

Corey O’Keeffe has returned from his Stockport loan like a new signing. The 27-year-old has been passionate on his two appearances back in a Barnsley shirt, exemplified by a slide tackle in front of the Ponty End to stop a Blackpool attack, which was followed by pumping up the crowd. There where questions around O’Keefe’s return, however the wing-back seems to be back to his best under Hourihane with his intense pressing and energy. From looking like he was no longer needed in the summer, O’Keefee now looks undroppable.

 

Back 5 returns

Conor Hourihane decided to operate the back 5 again after it’s success at Anfield, with the Reds sitting in it out-of-possession, which allowed them to match Blackpool’s shape. It worked for the most part as The Reds looked more assured at the back than usual, and it may be something Hourihane sticks with from now on. There where also other interesting things to pick up from a tactical point of view, with Nathanael Ogbeta inverting into midfield with the ball and Corey O’Keefe pushing up to the right wing, where he had a good partnership with Adam Phillips. Conor Hourihane is currently showing flexibility he hasn’t shown before when it comes to setting his team up, and it was something the young Head Coach needed to do as he attempts to start Barnsley’s season back up again.

 

What next for Barnsley’s season?

Barnsley might be the most unpredictable team in the EFL right now. Trying to figure out where The Reds will end up is mind-boggling, and the outright mess up of their fixtures means that Barnsley still haven’t played half of their league fixtures, in mid-January. They are seven points off Huddersfield in sixth, and have five games in hand on them, but are also only three points above the drop zone. There will no be no accurate picture painted of Barnsley’s true position until at least March, meaning for now their position in 15^th doesn’t mean all too much as it would if they had played four extra fixtures. Games in hand are a funny thing in football, as they give the hope that a team could move up the table, but it must also be remembered that there is no guarantee that they will be won, with many preferring points on the board instead of hypothetical ones like in Barnsley’s case. Whatever the case, there is a gruelling schedule that awaits The Reds, and Hourihane will need as many options as possible in his squad to get through it. If sufficient players are brought in, a promotion push could emerge, but equally a run of losses could see Barnsley nervously looking over their shoulder.