The first game of the season was an away visit to freshly relegated Bradford City, with the Reds suffering a humiliating 4–0 defeat, including goals by ex-Barnsley player Ashley Ward and former Sheffield Wednesday player Benito Carbone. This was to set a tone for Barnsley who did not pick up a victory away from home until they played bottom of the table Stockport County on Boxing Day. After a mediocre start with Barnsley reaching eleventh by mid-September results started to go downhill and the team found themselves hovering around the relegation zone.