Barnsley fell to yet another defeat on Saturday when they took on Stoke City under new manager Michael O’Neill, conceding four goals at home.

Barnsley’s season went from bad to worse on Saturday as they suffered a 4-2 thumping at home to fellow strugglers Stoke City. The defeat means Barnsley slump back to the foot of the table on just nine points.

This game has seen the Tykes extend their unwanted winless run to 15 games, having not tasted victory since the opening day when they beat Fulham 1-0. In that time, they have drawn six games, taking their total for the season to nine points.

With another disappointing result at Oakwell for Barnsley, we take a look at three things we clearly learnt at the weekend…

The defence needs to tighten up 

Another four goals conceded at the weekend takes Barnsley’s tally for the season to 33 so far. This record sees them with the worst in the division, three worse off than the next team (Luton). 

The problem that this presents for the Tykes is that even if they score two goals in a game like they did against Stoke, it’s still nowhere near enough to get a result, meaning they rarely give themselves any chance of getting a positive result.

If they are to survive this season, tightening up the defence is the number one priority. They need to start by not taking risks at the back, including playing safely out from the defence and ensuring they clear their lines first and foremost, which they couldn’t do on Saturday.

The attack has what it takes

One positive that can be taken from Barnsley’s defeat is that they scored another two goals in a game. This game takes their tally to eight goals in five games since the dismissal of Daniel Stendel, an impressive record given who they have played and where they are in the league.

Adam Murray, and whoever should take over long-term as manager, will take comfort in knowing that this squad can score goals against anyone in this league, with two away to West Brom, two at home against Bristol City and two at the weekend.

Along with the defence needing to tighten up, they must place their face in the attacking talent they have to fire them to safety.

They need to start picking results up against those around them

This season, Barnsley have played four of the current bottom six (them being one of them), and have only picked up one point out of a possible 12, when they drew 0-0 away to Wigan Athletic.

While they might not have the quality to properly compete with the best teams in the league, the Tykes need to prioritise games against their relegation rivals and ensure they come out on the winning side more often.

This defeat against Stoke was a bitter blow because it was a chance to get a win against a team in their problem and start to look ahead to more good results. Now, Barnsley find themselves in a tricky spot going into games against two more strugglers in Blackburn and Middlesbrough, knowing they must start winning.