Imps v Barnsley – Past Meetings

Barnsley are one of our oldest opponents, with the first meeting coming in 1898.

Across all competitions, the two clubs have met 78 times, with City winning 27, drawing 16 and losing 35.

A Rivalry Built Across Eras

Our meetings with Barnsley stretch back to the late 1890s when both clubs were regulars in the old Second Division. The very first clashes in 1898 and 1899 were narrow affairs, including a 1-0 home win for City in the opening exchange. Those early decades produced a familiar pattern. We often edged the games at the Bank while Barnsley held the upper hand in Yorkshire. The 1910s saw heavy swings in either direction, including a 5-3 defeat in 1919 and a 3-0 home win in 1915.

The fixture settled into something more balanced during the 1950s and 1960s. City claimed some of the most eye-catching wins of the rivalry in this period, including a 5-2 victory away in April 1958 and a 4-0 win at the Bank in March 1956. Barnsley hit back with big results of their own, such as the 5-2 home success in September 1956. By the late 1960s the matches were becoming tighter again with several single-goal games and a pair of City victories in 1966 and 1967.

The 1970s delivered one of our best runs. We won five of six meetings between 1974 and 1976, including consecutive 3-0, 2-1 and 1-0 victories during the Division Four era as Graham Taylor began building the competitive group that would soon climb a tier. Even then, Barnsley remained awkward visitors. They took the League Cup tie at Oakwell in August 1979, although we responded by winning the return 2-1 in January 1980.

Modern Meetings

The early years of the EFL Trophy reunions have been kind to us. City won 3-0 at Oakwell in 2022 and followed that with a comfortable 2-0 away win this season. League fixtures since our return to League One have been mixed. Barnsley took both games in 2024-25, including a chaotic 4-3 at Oakwell and a 2-1 win at the Bank in August. We had better joy the previous season with that unforgettable 5-1 victory in March 2024, one of the standout away performances of the early Skubala era.

The rivalry in recent years has been defined by contrast. We have produced some of our most convincing League One wins against them, yet Barnsley have still found ways to edge the closer contests. The 0-0 stalemate in April 2023 and the gritty 1-0 win at Oakwell in October 2022 showed that the fixture can shift with little warning.

Overall Picture

Across league football, Barnsley hold a narrow edge with 29 wins to our 24, while in the cups the picture is very different. City lead the overall cup head-to-head by two wins to none in the Trophy, and we remain competitive in the League Cup despite the 2009 defeat. The variety of scorelines across the eras tells you everything you need to know. No matter the division or the circumstances, this fixture rarely settles into a predictable rhythm.