Barnsley FC suffer big player blow – It’s not what Conor Hourihane needs | OneFootball

Barnsley boss Conor Hourihane has been dealt a blow by an injury to Marc Roberts that is set to see him unavailable for a while.

Barnsley are heading into their first home game of the season on the back of news of a crucial injury in defence, with Marc Roberts set to now be unavailable for a while.

The Tykes began the 2025/26 League One season in fine style last week, as they defeated Plymouth Argyle, who have just been relegated from the Championship, at Home Park by three goals to one on the opening day.

There have been slight concerns over the decision-making of the club’s hierarchy in recent times, but there remains a lot of quality in the Barnsley squad, as displayed in that match.

Despite the concerns over the overall running of the club, both Adam Phillips and Davis Keillor-Dunn got on the scoresheet last week to give a reminder as to the quality within the Barnsley squad.

However, their array of attacking talent is one thing, but manager Conor Hourihane is now set to have to deal with a crucial absentee at the back for the coming months.

Hourihane and Barnsley dealt Marc Roberts blow

According to Leon Wobschall of the Yorkshire Post, via his X account, Barnsley defender Marc Roberts is set to be sidelined for the next couple of months.

It has been reported that the 35-year-old Barnsley-born centre-back, who played for the club between 2015 and 2017 before returning in 2024 after making nearly 200 appearances for Birmingham City, has endured a groin/hip injury in the opening day visit to Plymouth.

Roberts returned to Oakwell last summer on a free transfer, following his release by Birmingham, and he went on to make 35 appearances in League One, but he did miss a few games due to injury.

In what is a generally young squad with a lot of attacking quality, but perhaps lacking in defensive nous and experience, the absence of Roberts is set to be a blow for novice head coach Conor Hourihane.

Roberts partnered Jack Shepherd, who was sent off in the second-half, at centre-back on the opening day of the campaign, but was forced off after 43 minutes due to the injury. He was replaced by 19-year-old Jonathan Bland at the heart of the defence.

Hourihane could do with the experience

As Barnsley prepare for a week of three successive home matches with League One games against Burton Albion and Bolton Wanderers sandwiching an EFL Cup first round tie against Fleetwood Town, Hourihane and Barnsley will be looking to continue their promising start.

The widely held view is that Barnsley, with the likes of Phillips and Keillor-Dunn, as well as new signing David McGoldrick, will be entertaining to watch this season, but could lack a steel at the back to mount a serious promotion challenge.

Roberts is certainly someone who provides that steel, and so his absence could force Barnsley into the market a bit sooner and with a bit more haste than they perhaps would have liked.

Hourihane took charge on an interim basis towards the end of last season before being given the job on a permanent basis, and he will be desperate to ensure his defence is not overawed in terms of both quality and experience.

So far this summer, Barnsley have signed Murphy Cooper, Nathanael Ogbeta and Caylan Vickers on loan from Queens Park Rangers, Plymouth and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively, whilst Reyes Cleary, McGoldrick and Patrick Kelly have arrived on permanent deals from West Bromwich Albion, Notts County and West Ham United respectively.

Hourihane has already discussed that Barnsley will need a player to come in as a result of Roberts' injury, and so it could end up being be a busy couple of weeks for the South Yorkshire outfit.