Unsung Barnsley FC defender Mael de Gevigney rewinds clock to 'Great Escape' hero

For every success, there have been one or two more duds and the names of some players have long since entered Reds folklore for all the wrong reasons.

In recent seasons, there has been one area at least where they have come up trumps. Centre-back.

Mads Andersen and Michal Helik earned their stripes in South Yorkshire after arriving as unknowns from Danish and Polish football.

The name of Michael Sollbauer will also be fondly recalled for his part in the ‘Great Escape’ of 2019-20 in his time at the club after arriving from the Austrian Bundesliga.

Sollbauer is perhaps the player who best resembles someone who is currently proving his weight in gold in the Barnsley side of 2024-25 in Mael de Gevigney.

Like the Austrian, the French-born defender has proved himself to be calm, consistent, unfussy and the consummate team man with an air of growing authority and quiet leadership.

As with Sollbauer, de Gevigney has also prospered after some initial adversity, to make his story all the more worthwhile.

Barnsley followers were rather under-whelmed with Sollbauer early on in his time at the club – he made his debut in a 4-2 FA Cup loss at Portsmouth in January 2020.

It was the same with de Gevigney after he arrived from Nimes in the 2023 summer window.

His full league debut that August against Oxford United proved to be a nightmare. He lasted just 37 minutes before being taken off for ‘tactical reasons’ after suffering a baptism of fire in a first half which saw him struggle badly and give away a penalty.

As comebacks go, his response has been uniformly outstanding since. So much so that he played every single minute in the league for Barnsley in 2024 and has been the club’s most reliable player throughout a 24-25 season which is suddenly starting to show promise once more.

De Gevigney is also finding his voice. And he can also be trusted to front up.

After the Reds’ 7-0 defeat in the EFL Cup against Manchester United at Old Trafford in September, de Gevigney was the one who spoke to the press afterwards in front of the Stretford End.

He probably did not want to talk after Barnsley’s atrocious 4-0 home defeat against Leyton Orient just 18 days ago either. But he did and unselfishly took one for the team again in the process.

It’s another rewind to Sollbauer. After netting an own goal in a late-season game at Leeds United in 2019-20 – that 1-0 defeat looked like being a hammer blow in Barnsley’s battle against drop – he faced the music with the press the following day.

All successful sides need a de Gevigney or two in their ranks. Should Barnsley’s season turn out well in May, he will probably be a bit of an unsung hero.

A player tailor-made for the English game who happens to be from across the Channel.

On his run of starts, de Gevigney said: "Everyone in football looks at their statistics and I know a little bit about my statistics, but I didn’t know about my run.

"We want to be as good as possible in every game. After every game, I am watching my performances and trying to do better and improve in every aspect of my game.

"I am trying to talk more. It’s a different country and language and I am trying to help the team and am doing it a lot and talking to everyone on the pitch (more) and want them to be as good as possible.

"We have a number of players with experience too and it's not only my job."

De Gevigney and his team-mates have started the new year in prosperous fashion, following on from a bountiful Christmas, which started out with a Boxing Day win at Bolton Wanderers and was followed by another away success at Peterborough United.

Back-to-back Oakwell victories against Wrexham and Crawley have also started to address the Reds’ bad bout of homesickness, with the Christmas and New Year period having proved memorable, unexpectedly so to several.

De Gevigney’s first experience of playing football in England over the holiday season was too bad either in his maiden season here last term - when the Reds went unbeaten in four games.

He added: "We usually have a winner’s break in France and it’s a good time to rest and be with family and then focus on the second part of the season.

"But it (playing games) is a massive thing in England, especially on the Boxing Day when people celebrate with family at the stadium.

"It’s new and I enjoy it, playing football is what I like.

"It’s an important moment (period) in the season."