Barnsley v Wigan Athletic – Cauley Woodrow aiming to perform repeat escape act

WHEN Cauley Woodrow strides out at Oakwell today for a late-season fixture of immense significance at the bottom of the Championship, his mind might just wander back for a brief moment to the Spring of 2017.

In truth, the date of April 29 was a largely inconsequential one for Woodrow’s current club Barnsley.

For one of his former employers in Burton Albion, it meant the world.

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As with the Reds in 2019-20, the Brewers were embroiled in a grim fight for Championship life pretty much from when the first autumn leaves were falling back in 2016-17.

Barnsley's Cauley Woodrow shields the ball from Millwall's Shaun Williams.
 Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe
.Barnsley's Cauley Woodrow shields the ball from Millwall's Shaun Williams.
 Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe
.
Barnsley's Cauley Woodrow shields the ball from Millwall's Shaun Williams. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe .

Just like Barnsley, they were competing with a plethora of big-city clubs with their prospects written off repeatedly.

Nigel Clough’s doughty fighters rolled with the punches and were still standing at the very end.

Oakwell was the venue where the Brewers secured their cherished safety with a 1-1 draw in late April, which prompted Clough – a down-to-earth ‘football man’ who is never prone to hyperbole – to claim that it was the Staffordshire club’s greatest achievement.

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For the hosts, there have been several previous instances of joyous late-season drama on home soil as well.

SAFETY NET: Cauley Woodrow was part of the Burton Albion side that clinched Championship safety at Oakwell back in April 2017.SAFETY NET: Cauley Woodrow was part of the Burton Albion side that clinched Championship safety at Oakwell back in April 2017.
SAFETY NET: Cauley Woodrow was part of the Burton Albion side that clinched Championship safety at Oakwell back in April 2017.

Who can forget the events of April 26, 1997 and THAT goal from Clint Marcelle, for instance.

In the here and now, they require something special as well, if they are to be celebrating like Burton were three years ago.

In its own way, it provides a spot of hope to Barnsley who must defy the odds as the Brewers did.

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It was a time that Woodrow, who spent the second half of that season at the Pirelli Stadium, recalls with fondness.

HELLO AGAIN: Cauley Woodrow is looking forrward to coming up against former Barnsley team-mate Kieffer Moore, now at Wigan. Picture: Martin Rickett/PAHELLO AGAIN: Cauley Woodrow is looking forrward to coming up against former Barnsley team-mate Kieffer Moore, now at Wigan. Picture: Martin Rickett/PA
HELLO AGAIN: Cauley Woodrow is looking forrward to coming up against former Barnsley team-mate Kieffer Moore, now at Wigan. Picture: Martin Rickett/PA

He told The Yorkshire Post: “There are some similarities in terms of where we are in the league and I have been there before in terms of a relegation fight and know what it means and have managed to come through it.

“Hopefully, it can be the same this time.

“I joined in the January and we were bottom of the league and we managed to get ourselves out of it and it was a great time – not just for me personally, but the club.

“Everyone wrote us off to get relegated and we managed to stay up by working hard and staying in games as long as we could.

Oakwell. Graphic: Graeme Bandeira.Oakwell. Graphic: Graeme Bandeira.
Oakwell. Graphic: Graeme Bandeira.
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“We managed to get some really good results against big teams.

“It can take a bit of pressure of you in terms of people expecting you to get relegated.

“It can take that pressure off the team and from you as individuals.

“It is about going out there and proving them wrong.”

Speaking of the past, Barnsley will be reacquainted with a familiar figure from former times in the inimitable shape of Kieffer Moore, whose winning strike in midweek against QPR provided a tonic amid grim times at crisis club Wigan.

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Woodrow hit it off on the pitch and away from it with his old strike partner. It is a friendship that will endure.

Cauley Woodrow celebrates opening the scoring with Conor Chaplin against Reading at Oakwell back in December. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.Cauley Woodrow celebrates opening the scoring with Conor Chaplin against Reading at Oakwell back in December. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.
Cauley Woodrow celebrates opening the scoring with Conor Chaplin against Reading at Oakwell back in December. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

But on today of all days, business is business.

On Moore’s return to Oakwell, who moved to the JJB Stadium in August, the Reds top-scorer added: “Kieffer is a great lad and player.

“We used to sit on the bus together to away games and had a good relationship.

“You have team-mates who you do not see when you move clubs apart from when you play against each other. But he is someone who I will speak to every now and again and keep in touch with.

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“It will be nice to see him and he was a big part in us getting into this division. But let’s hope we can keep him quiet and away from the goal.”

Wigan, who entered administration last week, arrive at Oakwell with the unfortunate but rightful moniker of ‘crisis club’.

A scan of the league table would also tell you that Barnsley’s position is critical.

After today’s encounter, the Reds final week-and-a-half of the campaign should arrive with a health warning.

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Trips to Leeds United and Brentford are on the itinerary alongside a home game with Nottingham Forest.

For Barnsley to come out on the other side and with their second-tier status intact, it will require something exceptional.

If that is going to transpire, the goalscoring input of Woodrow – who has not scored in his past seven matches – is likely to be leaned upon.

Due a goal or two, Woodrow famously came good during that ‘Great Escape’ with Burton – with his tally of five goals in 14 games including key strikes in victories against Wolves, Norwich and Nottingham Forest.

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How Barnsley could do with history repeating itself for Woodrow in the club’s hour of need.

The 25-year-old continued: “We are fully aware of how big the (Wigan) game is. But there are still three games after this from which we can get nine points.

“People have written us off and said we are going to be relegated, but we have given ourselves a huge chance and we are confident and ready to go.

“Wigan are going to be in similar position to us with their points deduction at the end of the season, but after that, we have got three of the top teams in the league and previously we have done really well against the top teams.

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“Hopefully, they go into it with the mindset of ‘it is Barnsley, they’re are at the bottom, we are going to turn them over’.

“But in the past, that has worked for us against Fulham and West Brom and we absolutely battered Fulham at their place and played really well at West Brom.

“Let’s hope that is the case and that we can pick up some more points. We are not down and out until it is mathematically done.”

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