Barnsley Football Club is an English association football club based in the South Yorkshire town of Barnsley. Founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St Peter's, the team played in the Sheffield & District League from the 1890–91 season and first entered the FA Cup in 1893–94. Two years later, they were accepted into the Midland League. The club changed its name to Barnsley F.C. in 1897; its team finished as Midland League runners-up in the first season under the new name and were elected to the newly expanded Second Division of the Football League for the 1898–99 season. A 16th-place finish in their second season meant they had to apply for re-election; the application was successful, and Barnsley continued safely in mid-table until 1911, when they again needed to be re-elected to the League. Their cup form was rather better: either side of that poor League placing, they reached the FA Cup final. In 1909–10, they drew 1–1 with Newcastle United in the final at Crystal Palace, but lost 1–0 in the replay at Everton's Goodison Park ground. Two seasons later, after taking three replays to get through the quarter-final, they played out a goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion at Crystal Palace; this time Barnsley won the replay, at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane ground, by one goal to nil.

In the remaining years before competitive football was suspended for the duration of the First World War, Barnsley established themselves as one of the stronger sides in the Second Division, placing third in 1914–15. The First Division was to be expanded by two teams for the first post-war season. Traditionally, existing top-flight teams were reprieved from relegation when such an expansion took place, but when the League chose to relegate Tottenham Hotspur, who had finished bottom, Barnsley had expectations of promotion. Instead of promoting the top three from the Second Division, the top two went up and the League opted to ballot its members as to the third candidate; Arsenal, who had finished fifth in 1915, won the ballot. Barnsley missed out on promotion in 1921–22 on goal average, and continued in the Second Division until 1931–32 when they went down to the Third Division North, also on goal average. They returned to the second tier as champions two years later, were relegated in 1938, and won another Third Division title in 1939.

After relegation in 1953, Barnsley won the Third Division championship for a third time in 1955, but ten years later they were in the Fourth Division. They moved between fourth and third tiers before two promotions in three years took them back to the Second Division in 1981, in which they remained for the next sixteen seasons. With two matches left to play in the 1996–97 season, to the accompaniment of chants of "It's just like watching Brazil", Danny Wilson had managed Barnsley to within one win of promotion to the Premier League. At home to Bradford City, Paul Wilkinson gave them a first-half lead, and with three minutes to go, Clint Marcelle scored the goal that made sure of the win. Barnsley's visit to the top flight was brief; they finished 19th, five points short of safety. They came close to a return in 2000 via the play-offs, losing 4–2 in the final after Ipswich Town's goalkeeper had saved a penalty and made a late save to deny them an equaliser.

Two years later, they were relegated to the third tier, which combined with the loss of revenue following the failure of ITV Digital and its broadcasting deal with the Football League made Barnsley one of some thirty clubs driven into administration. They recovered, and went on to beat Swansea City in a penalty shoot-out in the 2006 play-off final and return to the second tier, by then renamed the Championship. Despite finishing no higher than 17th place, they retained their second-tier status for eight seasons. Relegated in 2014, they returned via the play-offs, beating Millwall 3–1 in the 2016 final. Also in 2015–16, Barnsley beat Oxford United 3–2 in the final to win the Football League Trophy, a cup competition open to teams from the lower two divisions of the Football League, for the first time. They were again relegated in 2017–18, but made an immediate return to the Championship, and in 2020–21, reached the play-offs, in which they lost to Swansea City in the semi-final. In finishing bottom of the 2021–22 Championship, they recorded the second lowest number of wins and points (adjusted for three points for a win) in the club's history, won the fewest away matches since 1930, scored the fewest goals for 50 years and set a club record for fewest scored at home. The following season, they reached the play-offs, losing to Sheffield Wednesday in the final to a goal scored with six seconds of extra time remaining. In the 2023–24 FA Cup, Barnsley were taken to a replay by seventh-tier team Horsham which they won 3–0, but were then disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.

As of the end of the 2024–25 season, Barnsley have spent 10 seasons in the fourth tier of the English football league system, 27 in the third, 78 in the second and 1 in the top tier. The table details the team's achievements and the top goalscorer in senior first-team competitions from their first season in the Sheffield & District League in 1890–91 to the end of the most recently completed season.

Key

Key to league record: P – Played W – Games won D – Games drawn L – Games lost F – Goals for A – Goals against Pts – Points Pos – Final position

+ Key to colours and symbols:SymbolMeaning 1st or W Winners 2nd or F Runners-up Promoted Relegated ♦ Top league scorer in Barnsley's division

Key to divisions: Sheff – Sheffield & District League Sheff 2 – Sheffield & District League Second Division Sheff C – Sheffield & District League Central Division Midland – Midland League Yorks – Yorkshire League Div 1 – Football League First Division Div 2 – Football League Second Division Div 3 – Football League Third Division Div 3N – Football League Third Division North Div 4 – Football League Fourth Division Prem – Premier League Champ – Football League Championship League 1 – Football League One

Key to rounds: Prelim – Preliminary round QR1 – First qualifying round QR2 – Second qualifying round, etc. Inter – Intermediate round (between qualifying rounds and rounds proper) R1 – First round R2 – Second round, etc. QF – Quarter-final SF – Semi-final F – Final W – Winners (N) – Northern section of regionalised stage DNE – Did not enter

Details of the abandoned 1939–40 Football League season are shown in italics and appropriately footnoted.

Seasons + List of seasons, including league division and statistics, cup results and top scorer(s)SeasonLeague and Select season required via dropdown menu.FA Cup Select season required via dropdown menu.League Cup Select content required via dropdown menus.OtherFor Football League Group Cup: For Full Members' Cup: For Third Division North Cup: Top league scorer(s)DivisionPWDLFAPtsPosCompetitionResultNameGoals1890–91Sheff143472238106th——1891–92Sheff1811255037243rd——1892–93Sheff2615388445334th——1893–94Sheff 28431198112ndQR1——1894–95Sheff C10451192194thR1——1895–96Midland2813312625229 8thQR1——1896–97Midland281041457712411thR1——1897–98QR3——1898–99Div 2341271552563111thQR5—151899–1900Div 234871946792316thQR4—81900–01Div 2341151847602715thQR5—18 ♦1901–02Div 2341261651633011thQR5—101902–03Div 234138135551348thR2—161903–04Div 2341110133857328th—71904–05Div 234145153856337th—111905–06Div 2381291760623312thR2—141906–07Div 238158157355388th—131907–08Div 2381262054683016thR1—141908–09Div 23811101748573217thR1—181909–10Div 238167156259399th—231910–11Div 2387141752622819thR2—141911–12Div 2381512114542426thW—111912–13Div 238197125747454thR2—221913–14Div 238197125145455thR1—141914–15Div 238223135151473rdR1—91915–19The Football League and FA Cup were suspended until after the First World War.1919–20Div 24215101761554012thR2—211920–21Div 24210161648503616thR1—131921–22Div 242228126752523rdR3—171922–23Div 2421711146251459thR2—241923–24Div 24216111557614311thR1—191924–25Div 24213121746593815thR2—151925–26Div 24212121858843618thR1—121926–27Div 2421791688874311thR4—211927–28Div 24214111765853913thR3—151928–29Div 2421662069663816thR3—151929–30Div 2421482056713617thR3—121930–31Div 2421392059793519thR5—111931–32Div 2 421292155913321stR3—221932–33Div 3N42198159280468thR3—201933–34Div 3N 42278711861621stR1Third Division North CupR1311934–35Div 24213121760833816thR3—121935–36Div 2421292154803320th—141936–37Div 2421691750644114thR3—131937–38Div 2 4211141750643621stR4—141938–39Div 3N 4230759434671stR3Third Division North CupDNE281939–40Div 2312782—41939–45The Football League and FA Cup were suspended until after the Second World War.1945–46————————R5———1946–47Div 2421781784864210thR4—231947–48Div 24215101762644012thR3—91948–49Div 2421412166261409thR3—151949–50Div 24213131664673913thR3—171950–51Div 24215101774684015thR3—331951–52Div 24211141759723620thR4—151952–53Div 2 425829471081822ndR4—201953–54Div 3N462410127757582ndR2—241954–55Div 3N 46305118646651stR2—211955–56Div 24211121947843418thR4—111956–57Div 24212102059893419thR5—151957–58Div 24214121670744014thR3—191958–59Div 2 421072555912722ndR3—171959–60Div 34615141765664417thR1—131960–61Div 346217188380498thR2—171961–62Div 34613122171953820thR2R2—151962–63Div 34615112063744118thR3R3—221963–64Div 34612151968943920thR5R2—241964–65Div 3 469112654902924thR2R2—131965–66Div 44615102174784016thR2R1—171966–67Div 44613151860644116thR3R1—101967–68Div 4 46241396846612ndR1R1—151968–69Div 34616141658634610thR3R2—121969–70Div 3461915126859537thR3R1—151970–71Div 34617111849524512thR2R1—91971–72Div 3 469181932643622ndR2R2—121972–73Div 44614161658604414thR1R1—121973–74Div 44617101958644413thR2R1—211974–75Div 44615112062654115thR1R1—191975–76Div 44614161652484412thR1R1—101976–77Div 446239146239556thR2R2—26 ♦1977–78Div 4461814146149507thR2R1—141978–79Div 4 46241397342614thR2R1—181979–80Div 34616141653564611thR2R2—201980–81Div 3 46211787245592ndR5R4—181981–82Div 2421910135941676thR3—151982–83Div 24214151357555710thR4R4—171983–84Div 2421572057535214thR3R2—141984–85Div 24214161242425811thR2—141985–86Div 24214141447505612thR3R2—151986–87Div 24214131549525511thR5R2Full Members' CupR1111987–88Div 24415121761625714thR4R3Full Members' CupR191988–89Div 2462014126658747thR5R2Full Members' CupR1161989–90Div 24613151849715419thR5R2Full Members' Cup81990–91Div 2461912156348698thR3R2Full Members' Cup121991–92Div 24616111946575916thR3R3Full Members' Cup81992–93461792056606013thR5R1Anglo-Italian CupPrelim141993–94461672355675518thR5R2Anglo-Italian CupPrelim121994–95462012146352726thR3R2—131995–964614181460666010thR3R3—171996–97 462214107655802ndR4R2—171997–98 381052337823519thR3—101998–994614171559565913thR4—121999–2000462410128867824thR3R4—192000–01461592249625416thR3R3—152001–02 4611152059864823rdR3R3—142002–034613132051645219thR1R1Football League Trophy172003–044615171454586212thR3R1Football League Trophy102004–054614191369646113thR1R2Football League Trophy172005–06 461818106244725thR3R2Football League Trophy122006–07461552653855020thR3R2—92007–084614131952655518thSFR2—132008–094613132045585220thR3R1—92009–104614122053695418thR3R4—112010–114614141855665617thR3R1—82011–12461392449744821stR3R1—112012–134614131956705521stR2—82013–14 469122544773923rdR3R2—152014–154617111862616211thR3R1Football League Trophy132015–16 46228167054746thR1R2Football League TrophyW212016–174615131864675814thR3R1—112017–18 469142348724122ndR3R3—92018–19 46261378039912ndR3R1EFL TrophyR2Kieffer Moore172019–204612132149694921stR4R1—Cauley Woodrow142020–2146239145850785thR5R3—Cauley Woodrow122021–22 466122833733024thR4R1—Carlton Morris72022–2346268128047864thR3R2EFL TrophyR2Devante Cole152023–24462113128264766thDQR1EFL TrophyR2Devante Cole182024–25 4617101969736112thR2R3EFL TrophyGS Davis Keillor-Dunn17

Notes

References

External links Barnsley F.C. official website