The Imps face Barnsley for the 76th time this weekend.

We’ve won 26 of those encounters, Barnsley 33, with 16 draws. Our league record is better – we’ve won 24 league matches, them just 27.

In a new feature (that will only be possible once per opposition per season), we look back at some of the key meetings between the two clubs over the years.

The First Meeting

Imps 1-0 Barnsley (1898)

The Last Meeting

Barnsley 1-5 Imps (2024)

The last time out, we triumphed by five goals to one. It was the start of Barnsley’s collapse, although they did sneak into the playoffs.

After Joe Taylor opened the scoring we had control, but a change at half time blew the Tykes away. Jak Moylan put on a masterclass, and Mandroiu and Makama chipped in to secure us a vital victory.

It didn’t lead to the top six as we hoped, but they’ll certainly feel they owe us one.

The Biggest Win

Imps 4-0 Barnsley (1956)

Okay, so 5-1 is a big win, but I’ve taken 4-0 and a clean sheet as a good point to pull in another result – the 4-0 win in 1956. These were heady days for the Imps, as we became a staple of the second tier, and this big win was reflective of our form.

We finished the season eighth, just two points behind third-placed Liverpool, while the Tykes ended up 18th. That certainly wasn’t the norm, but for once, almost 70 years ago, we looked like we were on the up.

The Heaviest Defeat

Barnsley 6-2 Imps (1907)

An Interesting Clash

Barnsley 0-3 Imps (2022)

For the interesting clash, I’ve gone a little unconventional – I’ve picked the EFL Trophy games against the Tykes in 2022. It’s our only outing against them in the competition, but I’ve picked it because it triggered a five-match unbeaten run against them (and counting).

Jovon likes Barnsley – his first EFL goal came against them in the 5-1 win, but his first senior goal came in this game. James Norwood was sent off, and Ted Bishop also netted twice. We looked awesome in patches, and that’s with a team that included Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Charles Vernam, and Jay Benn, all fringe players.