Barnsley in talks to appoint Cheltenham Town boss | OneFootball

Barnsley are currently in talks to appoint Cheltenham Town boss Darrell Clarke, according to an update on X from Telegraph journalist John Percy.

The Tykes sacked Neill Collins ahead of their final regular league game of the 2023/24 campaign, leaving Martin Devaney to take caretaker charge of the club for the final game of the season.

Drawing 1-1 against Northampton Town, the South Yorkshire club just about managed to secure a top-six place in the end.

With Oxford United overtaking them, they faced Bolton Wanderers instead of Peterborough United in the play-offs, and didn't make a good start to their play-off campaign.

Losing 3-1 at Oakwell in the first leg, the Tykes had a massive job to do at the Toughsheet Community Stadium if they were to book their place at Wembley.

Despite their best efforts, with Devaney's men winning the second leg 3-2, it was the Trotters who made it through to the final to face Oxford.

Their semi-final loss allowed them to prepare for next season earlier though - and appointing a new manager will be at the top of their priority list with Devaney only filling in temporarily.

With the likes of Nicky Cadden, Devante Cole and Herbie Kane all being released and their former loanees returning to their parent clubs, there's plenty of work for them to do.

And a new manager will be required, so he can shape the squad and get them ready for the 2024/25 season.

Darrell Clarke looks set to take charge of Barnsley

Clarke is reportedly in the frame to secure the top job at Oakwell, with the Tykes agreeing a compensation package with Cheltenham to take him away from Gloucestershire.

The manager and his representatives and the South Yorkshire side are now in talks, and with the compensation hurdle now being overcome, it seems likely that Clarke will be making the move up north.

Michael Duff was previously in the mix to return to Oakwell, but Huddersfield Town beat them to his signature.

An appointment could now be imminent though, which will come as a relief to the Tykes' fans who will be keen to see a new manager come in as quickly as possible.

Darrell Clarke has an impressive CV and could be a good appointment for Barnsley

Clarke has a decent number of promotions on his managerial CV, notably guiding Bristol Rovers from the National League to League One and also taking Port Vale to the third tier.

He also did well at Cheltenham initially and it looked as though he was going to have a good chance of keeping them up.

However, the Robins made an incredibly poor start to the campaign and it was always going to be a difficult task for Clarke to keep them up.

He did keep Cheltenham in the survival race for much of the season, but they fell just short in the end.

It could be argued that Clarke deserves another opportunity to manage in the third tier - and it looks as though he's going to get that chance.