August 2017
For some clubs, the League Cup is not a priority but for Barnsley, it should be. After losing to Bristol City on the opening weekend of the new season, Paul Heckingbottom’s men showed plenty of grit and determination to defeat Morecambe in a seven-goal thriller at Oakwell.

Source: Barnsley Football Club via Facebook

With the Tykes now in the hat for the next round, Barnsley could place greater emphasis on the Carabao Cup than some of their Championship rivals. In the grand scheme of things, reaching the third or fourth round of the competition isn’t as important as getting points on the board but building momentum could help Barnsley in the long term.

The Tykes are expected to struggle for the most part of the season and the key to Championship survival could be momentum – especially on home soil. Barnsley lost just six games at home last term and Heckingbottom’s side were unbeaten in their final six matches at Oakwell.



Ask yourself this... should Barnsley be conceding three goals against a team of Morecambe's stature on home soil? Probably not. However, the main thing is Barnsley won and they have advanced to the next stage of the competition.

Beating a League Two side is nothing to shout about but for the Tykes, it could be colossal. Heckingbottom knows that Barnsley, who recently signed Everton midfielder Joe Williams on a season-long loan are in need of a confidence boost and scoring four goals against any side has to be spun with a positive angle.

With so many football fans expecting Barnsley to be involved in a relegation scrap, it would be sensational if the Tykes could defy the odds and climb the Championship table.




 Plenty of punters will be keen to back Barnsley to avoid the drop and you can request a wager via the Sky service, more information relating to these markets is available at Footy Accumulators when you’re online, and Heckingbottom’s men will out to prove everyone wrong.

The second round of the Carabao Cup is just a couple of weeks away and Barnsley fans will be expecting more success in the near future. Should the Tykes progress further, the chance to face strong Premier League opposition opens up and that should serve as motivation.

Barnsley probably aren’t going to go and finish in the playoff places but to label the Tykes as contenders to finish at the foot of the Championship table is insulting. Heckingbottom can lead Barnsley up the table in the coming months and the Carabao Cup might just be the catalyst.