Fri 14 Jul - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 1min
Three weeks today, Derby County will get their 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship campaign off and running at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland.
Between now and then, dcfc.co.uk is previewing all of the opponents Gary Rowett’s men will come up against over the course of the campaign.
After previewing Aston Villa yesterday, we turn our attentions to Barnsley…
Manager: Paul Heckingbottom
Nickname: The Tykes
Stadium Capacity: 23,287
Place Last Season: 14th (58 Points)
Last Campaign’s Top Scorer (2016/17): Sam Winnall (11 Goals)
Promotion Odds (According to Coral): 20/1
Home – Saturday 9th December 2017 (Kick-Off: 3pm)
Away – Sunday 6th May 2018 (Kick-Off: 12pm)
Barnsley 2-0 Derby County
Derby County 2-1 Barnsley
After two years in the third tier, Barnsley took to life back in the Sky Bet Championship last year like a duck to water.
Not only did the Tykes comfortably remain in the division, but they were a feature in the top half of the table for a large proportion of the 2016/17 season.
Before the beginning of the campaign, after achieving promotion from League One via the play-offs in 2015/16, Paul Heckingbottom, who some argued was last season’s Manager of the Year in the Championship, shaped something of a new look team – making a total 13 signings before the end of the summer transfer window.
Barnsley picked up their first win of the season on home turf in a 2-0 victory over Derby and in total, recorded an impressive four wins from their first six games.
The Tykes then went onto experience another fruitful patch to push them up the table during December and January, with Heckingbottom’s side winning seven of their 10 games throughout that period.
At the end of the campaign, Barnsley finished 14th – a respectable finish given the fact that a number of their key players, including Conor Hourihane, Alfie Mawson, Sam Winnall and James Bree, departed for pastures new during the season.
Adam Armstrong, the lively striker, and Ryan Kent, the winger, have returned back to their parent clubs following loan spells this summer, whilst Marley Watkins, Josh Scowen and Marc Roberts have all left over the last few months too as Heckingbottom continues to deal with a squad turnover.
With a number of key positions to fill ahead of 2017/18, Heckingbottom will be hoping to discover a few more gems in order to maintain the Tykes’ revival.
