Barnsley FC were not ready to be promoted back to the Championship, and that is the bottom line - Leon Wobschall

Were Barnsley truly ready to be promoted back to the Championship?

The honest answer is no. Their supporters knew it and critically, those in the corridors of power will have known it deep down as well.

Yes, the Reds’ play-off semi-final elimination at Bolton on Tuesday possessed elements of pain that you normally associate with such occasions and there was disappointment after winning the battle, but losing the two-match War of the Roses.

But there was also an air of inevitability about things, right down to the way that Reds defenders were punished for more fitful traits as they added to their litany of poor recent set-piece concessions just before half-time of a 3-2 win, but 5-4 defeat on aggregate.

It followed the charity at Oakwell four nights earlier - Barnsley have kept two clean sheets since late November and conceded almost a half-century of goals since Christmas. Therein lies a story.

As does the contractual overview of the squad.

With several key stars also out of contract - and seemingly set for pastures new - what would Barnsley have had in the building if they had got their act together and somehow been promoted in any case?

Herbie Kane and Devante Cole - the form of both has dipped - are likely to be heading out with Jordan Williams and possibly Nicky Cadden.

Throw in Liam Roberts and John McAtee ending their loan spells and there’s a high chance that six leading players involved at Bolton will not be around come the first day of the 2024-25 season.

The Championship could have been messy next term, let’s face it, unless recruitment was outstandingly on point.

And that’s not even taking into account that a new face will also be at the helm in a brutal division which can smash reputations quickly.

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Barnsley’s raison d’etre is ultimately buying young players, developing them for a few years and then selling them on.

Many may venture there is nothing wrong with that. In fairness, the club’s recruitment department have displayed an eye for spotting talent on several occasions in the past decade - but how many big players stick around for longer than three or four years?

That’s the trick. Without that, you cannot build.

Retaining a strong core of leading players to eventually construct something sustainable in a Championship which is getting more competitive by the season is not the Barnsley way.

Their true passion is in player development and recruitment as opposed to incremental improvement in the table, like clubs such as Luton and Coventry. That is the bottom line.

In terms of the defence, the Reds have not been good enough for a good while.

Yes, the injury sustained by Donovan Pines, ironically against Bolton in the league fixture at Oakwell on March 5, was untimely. In truth, Barnsley’s season did not really recover from being pegged back at the death in that 2-2 draw.

Building a tried and tested backline takes time. In two tense play-off games with Wanderers last May, Barnsley had the magnificent axis of Mads Andersen, Liam Kitching and Bobby Thomas to call upon.

They were everything that the current central defensive trio weren’t, with respect, in the latest double-header.

So, by common consent, Barnsley’s class of 2023-24 were deficient at the back and certainly weren’t Championship ready.

Up top, there were also discernible issues. Seventeen of Cole’s 18 goals had arrived by February 3.

Meanwhile, Sam Cosgrove’s haul of three goals in two play-off matches equalled his tally in the regular season.

That said, the striker’s form over the past week is a welcome tick in the box. Barnsley will need him in the likely absence of Cole in 24-25.

Given problems at both ends of the pitch, it is no coincidence that Barnsley hobbled into the end-of-season lottery and were eliminated at the stage which most observers expected - with manager Neill Collins having been an earlier casualty.

The club’s late-season form was almost the polar opposite of their numbers in the revered promotion campaigns of 2018-19 and 2015-16 when the Reds finished with a wet sail and Oakwell was a fun and happening place to be.

This was a campaign which saw Barnsley make the play-offs, yes. But it won’t be remembered with much fondness.

Off-the-field debacles surrounding the club’s expulsion from the FA Cup in November and their fruitless recent pursuit of an Austrian head coach have added to a feeling of dissatisfaction.

The Reds’ hierarchy must minimise any such mistakes in the future. It is a board who mean well and are open and transparent, but patience is wearing thin among fans.