Match Preview | Barnsley (A)

31 March 2023

The Shrimps travel to Yorkshire for their second away game in a week as they take on Barnsley on Saturday 1 April at Oakwell in Sky Bet League One.

Last time out, Morecambe were beaten 1-0 by MK Dons. In the reverse fixture, Derek Adams’ side beat the Tykes 1-0, a win which kick-started a nine-game unbeaten run at the Mazuma Stadium.

Barnsley were last in action on Tuesday night and were beaten 3-1 by Exeter City away from home.

The Opposition

The South Yorkshire side sit fourth in League One with 22 wins, six draws and nine defeats from 37 games.

Barnsley were relegated from the Championship last season but have had plenty of success in the third tier. The Tykes have won the division three times in 1934, 1939 and 1955. Their most recent success in League One came in the play-offs, beating Swansea on penalties in 2006 and Milwall 3-1 in 2016.

Michael Duff is in charge at Oakwell and spent his career playing as a centre-back for Cheltenham and Burnley, making over 300 appearances for each club. The 45-year-old also made 24 appearances for Northern Ireland between 2002-2012. His managerial career began in 2018 with Cheltenham, where he guided the club to automatic promotion from League Two in 2020/21, and joined Barnsley at the start of this season.

Key Players

Striker Devante Cole is the Tykes' top scorer so far this season with 12 goals as well as two assists. Cole brings plenty of EFL experience to the Barnsley side with previous spells at Bradford City, Fleetwood Town, Wigan Athletic and Doncaster Rovers. The 27-year-old has also made appearances for England at youth level, from U16 to U19.

Former Shrimps' midfielder Adam Phillips has also been impressing at Oakwell this season. Phillips spent three loan spells at the Mazuma Stadium, most recently last season from Burnley where the 25-year-old scored six goals in 38 appearances. This season, Phillips has nine goals and six assists to his name so far.

Striker James Norwood has been the perfect partner for Devante Cole up top this season. The 32-year-old has nine goals and four assists to-date. Norwood made a name for himself at Forest Green Rovers between 2011-15, where he scored 50 goals in 163 appearances. He also scored 93 goals in 180 games for Tranmere Rovers and, most recently, scored 26 goals in 88 appearances for Ipswich Town.

Michael Duff’s Thoughts

Speaking to the Barnsley website, Tykes' boss Michael Duff expects to come up against an expansive Morecambe side.

"I've watched their last two away games, 3-4-3 and really, really expansive,” he said.

"They've got quite a few Premier League appearances in the team as well. It will be difficult.

"They'll want to dominate the ball. We have to be wary of that, but we've been good against the ball and we've got our own fight."

Meet The Officials

Sebastian Stockbridge will take charge of Saturday's game and will be assisted by Christopher Ward, Paul Stonier and fourth official Bradley Hall.

Stockbridge has refereed 28 games across all competitions this season with 11 in League One, nine in League Two, three in the FA Cup, two in the Carabao Cup and Papa Johns Trophy respectively and one in the Championship.

The official has been in the middle for two Morecambe games this season, a 1-1 draw against Fleetwood Town at the Mazuma in August and, most recently, a 2-0 home win over Accrington Stanley in December.

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Match Reports

Report | Barnsley 5 Morecambe 0

1 April 2023

Promotion chasers Barnsley claimed all three points against the Shrimps at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon.

Three first half goals and two in the second proved the difference between the two sides.

The hosts got off to a perfect start when, on four minutes, a free kick was rocketed on target, Connor Ripley made the initial save, but Devante Cole was on hand to smash home the rebound.

Moments later and the Shrimps looked to respond through Jensen Weir, who was drafted into the XI at late notice, but his strike from the edge of the box sailed over the bar.

Barnsley doubled their advantage just before the midway stage in the first half; A stinging shot from outside the area initially forcing Ripley into a smart save, the resulting cross took a deflection off Dynel Simeu and ended up in the back of the net.

Just after the half-hour mark, Herbie Kane struck from the edge of the box and managed to curl it beyond the reach of Ripley to make it three for the home side.

Half-time: Barnsley 3 Morecambe 0

Eight minutes into the second half and the hosts scored again – Cole found space inside the Shrimps’ box to slot past Ripley, netting his second of the game.

Morecambe looked to pull one back on 67 minutes as Dan Crowley looked to curl one into the bottom corner, but the ball bounced back off the post and Cole Stockton couldn’t find the target with the rebound.

With just over 10 minutes to play, a looping effort from distance courtesy of Papa Souare came close, but it flew just wide of Harry Isted’s right-hand post.

Substitute Josh Austerfield struck from distance after advancing and making good ground, but the consolation proved evasive after the shot was pulled wide.

The Tykes rounded off the scoring with seconds to play in second half added time through Bobby Thomas who met the corner at the back post to head home.

Full-time: Barnsley 5 Morecambe 0

Barnsley: Isted, Williams, Kitching, Andersen, Cadden (Larkeche 71’), Kane (Benson 56’), B Thomas, L Thomas (Phillips, 56’), Cole, Watters (Tedic 66’), Connell (Russell, 56’)

Subs not used: Collins, Norwood.

Goals: Cole (04’, 53’), Simeu OG (21’), Kane (32’), Thomas (90+3’).

Bookings: Kitching.

Red cards: None.

Morecambe: Ripley, Love, Gibson, Rawson (Austerfield, 75’), Crowley (Mayor 75’), Stockton (Hunter 75’), Weir, Bedeau, Niasse, Souare, Simeu.

Subs not used: Smith, Delaney, Watts, Cooney.

Goals: None.

Bookings: None.

Red cards: None.

Attendance: 11,519 (279 away).

Ticket News

Ticket Details | Barnsley (A)

17 March 2023

Tickets for our Sky Bet League One trip to Barnsley on Saturday 1 April (15:00 kick-off) are now on sale.

Ticket Prices

	In Advance	On the Day (if available)
Adult	£23	£25
Senior 65+	£16	£18
Young Adult 19-21	£16	£18
Junior 13-18	£10	£10
Under 14*	£5	£5

*All children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult (over 18).

Disabled/Ambulant Supporters

Wheelchair users and ambulant supporters will be expected to pay the relevant admission price and will receive a complimentary carer with their purchase. These tickets are not available online, they must be purchased instore.

Additional Information

Advance Sales deadline: Friday 31 March, 12-noon.
Refund deadline: Friday 31 March, 12-noon.
Postage deadline: Tuesday 28 March, 17:00.

Match Day Sales

We encourage all supporters to buy tickets in advance of the fixture. Updates will be provided on whether sales are available on the day in due course.

Duplicate Ticket Requests

Anyone who doesn’t receive their tickets in time for the fixture through the post must contact tickets@morecambefc.com or call the Club Shop on 01524 411797 (ext 3) in advance of Friday 31 March at 12-noon.

Match Day Parking (Minibuses & Coaches)

The away car park is not pre-bookable and is cash entry only. The postcode for the away car park is S71 1AN. Coaches will be charged £20 and minibuses will be charged £10.

Match Day Parking (Cars)

The away car park is not pre-bookable and it is cash entry only. The postcode for the away car park is S71 1AN. All cars will be charged £5.

Disabled Parking

Disability spaces within the ground are available in the away car park (S71 1AN). Blue badge holders will be asked to pay £5 to park.

For up-to-date information or to ask any questions, contact Anya Wood, Shrimps’ SLO.

Twitter: @Shrimps_SLO.
Email: SLO@morecambefc.com.

FAQs