Vitriol and Medicine

Barnsley FC come undone at Huddersfield Town, on the end of a 5-0 battering. On The Ponty End asks if the Reds have the wares for Championship survival left in their dressing room.

Following Barnsley’s hopeless capitulation against Yorkshire neighbours Huddersfield Town, Danny Wilson faced the Look North News cameras and declared, “The damage from our perspective we hope is minimal, let’s hope we can get back in to it and put in a good performance next week”.

Whether the Reds boss was referring exclusively to the dire result alone, nobody knows. An alleged fracas, at the final whistle amongst certain players and elements of the travelling support, has turned a very bad day at the office in to a much bigger and potentially more damaging issue.

Stephen Dawson has already made a public apology for his angry response and confrontation with a Barnsley fan. The club has also made a statement assuring supporters that Dawson will be making a substantial donation to Barnsley Hospice as way of an apology.

Further investigations are pending regarding the alleged involvement of USA international and Stoke City loanee Brek Shea. Barnsley Football Club is committed to making a further statement on his return from international duty.

Is this enough? Will supporters be prepared to accept either player back into the fold, given the team’s current predicament in the Sky Bet Championship?


How long will it take for the vitriol and anger to subside sufficiently?



Wilson knows that there are just fourteen games left to save our season and supporters can’t expect to have it all their own way. But whilst our bright young things like Noble-Lazarus and Digby remain unused, Cywka and McCourt apparently don’t fit in to the starting plan.



Understandably, patience on the terraces is running thin.


So what’s the medicine?

If you’re looking for a fixture and an opportunity to re-unite the club and fans, maybe it’s fortunate for all concerned that Nottingham Forest will be next on the agenda. Regardless of time, there will be many in the ranks at Oakwell seeking their reparations for the past from the City Ground boys. They will be vocal. They will never forget.

Perhaps a brief study in to the history of our community over the last thirty years might be the insight that some players clearly lack. Defeat will always be the bitterest pill to swallow, but defeat without a fight is unacceptable.

Let’s hope the message gets through.

Thanks for reading. Do you think that the Reds still have the wares for Championship survival in their dressing room? We would love to hear your comments below, or get in touch with us on Twitter or Facebook.