Barnsley

Barnsley FC was established in 1887 and competed in various regional leagues before joining the Football League in 1898. Like many English clubs they owe their existence to the church, having been founded by the reverend of a local congregation called Barnsley St Peters, from which they got their name. During their first decade, they struggled in the Second Division, partly due to financial difficulties. Shortly thereafter in 1912, the club won the FA Cup against West Brom.

They moved into their current Oakwell stadium a few years after their formation, after initially playing on a nearby sloping field offered to them by a local businessman on the promise that they “behave themselves”. It is from these humble beginnings that a club with working class roots at its core, representing a Yorkshire mining town, became almost ever-present in the second tier of English football throughout the 20th century. The club has had many different badges over the years but their current logo is most reminiscent of their history. It contains the town’s shield, flanked by two miners. This replaced the previous badge which contained a bulldog, Toby Tyke, somewhat of a mascot of the club. This name comes from the word “tyke” which is slang for a person from Yorkshire. This is also where the club gets its nickname “The Tykes” which, along with “The Reds” is still widely used today.

Prior to and following the Second World War, Barnsley found themselves moving between the second and third tier of English football. This would change and an era of Second Division consistency would be ushered in with the emergence of several legendary players. In 1949, they signed a 23-year-old called Danny Blanchflower who impressed so much during his spell at Oakwell that two years later he moved to Aston Villa and finally to Tottenham Hotspur where he was voted Player of the Year in 1961, captaining the London club to the first ever league and cup double of the 20th century. Around this time, another Barnsley legend broke through in the form of Tommy Taylor. He scored 26 goals in 44 games for Barnsley before becoming one of the most expensive players in English football up to that point when iconic manager Matt Busby signed him for Manchester United in 1953. He would go on to be a prolific goalscorer for both United and England over the coming years before tragically having his career and life cut short when he died in the Munich Air Disaster of 1958.

After having spent the vast majority of their time until then in the Second Division, while even occasionally flirting with promotion to the top flight, Barnsley were relegated to the Third Division in 1959 and thus started a difficult period for The Tykes. Between then and 1981, they spent two decades languishing either in the third tier or even the fourth tier when they really hit rock bottom. This was certainly an era to forget for the Yorkshire side.

Throughout the 1980s the club ensured that normal service was resumed as they became a part of the furniture in the Second Division once again. The Premier League was created in 1992 and therefore Barnsley became a part of the newly named Division One. Over the following five years they pushed for promotion but missed out for various reasons. However, at the end of the 1996-97 campaign, a squad led by former player Danny Wilson containing cult legends such as Dutch defender Arjan de Zeeuw and top scorer Neil Redfearn, finally achieved promotion to the top tier of the English football pyramid after 99 years of trying.

Unfortunately for The Reds, their time in the limelight was short lived as they finished 19th the following season and were relegated back to Division One. They have spent more than two decades since in what is now known as The Championship, predictably the second tier - their natural home. They have suffered a couple of relegations to League One but for the most part they have fought tooth and nail to stay in the second tier, unfortunately not threatening to return to the top flight.

Last year they left it until the final game of the season against Brentford to secure their survival, living dangerously throughout the campaign. This season they are expected to be in for another challenge but with captain Alex Mowatt and outstanding Austrian defender Michael Sollbauer among many shining lights in their current squad, they may just surprise a few people. Unfortunately, their biggest rivals Leeds United and Sheffield United are currently in the Premier League but fans can look forward to local derbies against Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield and Rotherham this season.