Tykes fear cost of relegation would be £6m

The Reds’ seven-season status in the second-tier of English football is very much on the line with the Oakwell outfit currently second-from-bottom with two games to go, starting with a huge derby at home to promotion-chasing Hull City on Saturday.

If Dave Flitcroft’s side lose to the Tigers and relegation rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers and Peterborough United both win – and Huddersfield Town draw – they will be all but consigned to League One football next term, barring a miraculous final-day chain of events on May 4.

While everyone associated with the club remains hopeful that the Reds can still stave off the drop, Oakwell bosses are making contingency plans in the event of relegation, which Rowing insists will represent a huge financial blow and cost them million of pounds in lost revenue.

Reds owner Patrick Cryne has made no secret of his desire to sell up, with the club having effectively been on the market for the past 12 months or so.

But Rowing acknowledges that dropping down to League One would make the job of attracting prospective investors that bit harder and could deter potential bidders.

On the financial impact of relegation, Rowing told the Yorkshire Post: “If we stay up, it will be a different scenario than if we go down. If we go down, there are going to be some very big decisions that have got to be made and we will be big enough to take them.

“We believe that with the loss of gates and solidarity monies and such that we will lose between five and six million of our turnover.

“It would certainly be more attractive to any potential buyer if we were in the Championship. But at the moment, we have no-one who is wanting to have a go.

“We are not giving in, but you have to look at the worst scenario. With two games to play, we will be giving our upmost and two wins and we are safe, it’s as simple as that. We have been here before and are used to fighting against the odds and will continue to do so until the last ball is kicked.”

Meanwhile, Rowing has revealed that the dual decision by South Yorkshire Police to reject a Sky TV request to move Saturday’s kick-off to 5.20pm – and then turn down Hull’s request for an additional 1,500 tickets – will cost the club over £100,000 in lost revenue.

Rowing says the Reds are disappointed at both decisions after being happy to approve the extra visiting allocation after Hull’s initial 5,000 tickets in the North Strand sold out earlier this week.

But in both instances, the police blocked the move on safety grounds.

Specifically on the request for extra tickets for City fans at the all-ticket match, police ruled that it would be unsafe to house away supporters in two sides of the ground, with the half of the West Stand designated for home fans.

With Oakwell housing 6,500 visiting contingents on several occasions over recent years, Rowing is adamant that policing an extra amount of away fans should not have been a problem.

Rowing added: “We do our best to try and grow the local economy and seem to get obstacles from people and it is a hard pill to swallow. What is the point in having a game if we can’t have the spectators to come and watch it?

“No-one should dictate to the police in terms of public order. The police should eradicate any disagreements with travelling fans, it should be as easy as that. They have the equipment and manpower. We offered to pay them more and give more stewards and offered to make the game all-ticket.

“I am very disappointed that they have taken the easy option. For me, they dwell too much on history than on what is happening this particular season.

“We have had Sunderland, Newcastle, Wolves, Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday here and they have all taken parts of the West Stand as well as the North Stand and we have had no problems.

“It seems to be Hull carry a more dangerous warning sign than the others, I don’t know why.

“I think there was an altercation in the town a few years ago, but at the ground, we have never had any problems. So that is probably what the public order thing we are taking about. But at the end of the day, the law is the law and if people break it, they should be dealt with accordingly and mete out the punishments.

“We, as a football club, back all the police’s actions in terms of banning orders. If people want to misbehave, then the police ought to come down hard on them and we will ban them from future games.”

Temporary Superintendent Scott Green, match commander for Saturday’s game, said: “The force (South Yorkshire Police) and I also appreciate the importance of this fixture to both sets of fans, particularly at such a crucial time of the season for both clubs.

“Fixtures of this importance are always passionate affairs, but we have seen how, at times, this passion can spill over into disorder.

“In planning for this fixture, South Yorkshire Police has worked closely with Barnsley Football Club to ensure both sets of supporters are kept safe.

“The entirety of the North Stand will be dedicated to travelling Hull City fans. The only additional capacity would be in the stadium’s West Stand and upon assessment, it would be unsafe to have Hull City fans on two sides of the ground.”

[email protected]