Football Season Guide

Barnsley start life in League One after their eight-year stay in the Championship ended after they finished their campaign as 23rd in the table. Danny Wilson, who took over midway through the previous season, was allowed to keep his job despite failing to guide the Tykes to safety. Wilson will be a man on a mission with everything to prove, as his previous managerial stint in League One ended in him being harshly sacked by Sheffield United with the team sitting inside the play-off places. However, it is currently unclear what exactly Wilson will be expected to deliver in the upcoming season and whether he will be allowed to keep his job if he fails to deliver an instant return to the Championship. Barnsley's chances of bouncing straight back up are extremely difficult to judge, due to the simple fact that they had a major summer clear-out which left them with only 14 senior players in the squad in early July. As it always happens with sides that get relegated from the Championship after years in the second tier, the Tykes had to part ways with some of their household names, such as Luke Steele, Chris O'Grady, Liam Lawrence and Bobby Hassell. Not until mid July did Wilson intensify his efforts to bring in players, but has been very active since, as the likes of Ross Turnbull, Sam Winnall, Reece Brown and Joe Dudgeon, who are all proven at this level, have signed for Barnsley in the last three weeks. Wilson's footballing philosophy is in contrast with Barnsley's attacking traditions - Wilson is known for preferring his sides to play physical football, and this is not expected to change in the new season. For that reason, it is hardly a surprise that Barnsley's defensive option look very good, and that the Tykes have arguably one of the best defences in the division - on paper, at least. However, a look at the situation further up the pitch reveals that Barnsley are short on numbers, and arguably quality, in the final third of the pitch, and Wilson will need to bring in more quality players in attacking areas if his side is really to fight for promotion.