Barnsley: League Two manager on Tykes radar amid Dominik Thalhammer issue | OneFootball

Barnsley may turn their attention to MK Dons head coach Mike Williamson in their search for Neill Collins' replacement.

According to Alan Nixon via his Patreon account, the proposed appointment of Dominik Thalhammer may not go through despite an agreement having been reached between both parties.

Thalhammer has suffered issues in receiving a work permit, which could stop his potential move to Oakwell.

The 53-year-old has not worked in over a year, with his last post being a stint with Belgian side Oostende.

This could cause issues with him being supplied a work permit to land a job in the United Kingdom, with the League One club now having to appeal the application process, which has delayed an announcement about his appointment.

Thalhammer was set to take over at the Tykes, but the third tier outfit may now have to search elsewhere if the Austrian cannot legally work in the United Kingdom.

Collins was dismissed in the role earlier this month, even with the team still in contention for a play-off place in League One.

The team’s form under the 40-year-old had collapsed, ending any hope of sealing automatic promotion back to the Championship, and with much fan unrest over recent results, the Oakwell hierarchy sought to make a change ahead of their final match of the regular League One season - which was a 1-1 draw with Northampton Town.

However, with the play-offs still to come, the club opted for a change in manager in order to boost their chances of sealing a return to the second division.

Collins had only been appointed last summer, and won 24 of his 52 games in charge, but one win in his last eight saw him depart with just one fixture left in the regular campaign.

With issues over appointing Thalhammer, Barnsley could now turn their attention to MK Dons’ Williamson in a bid to hire a new coach in time for the play-offs.

Williamson has overseen a fourth place finish in League Two this year, having arrived at Stadium MK in October from National League side Gateshead following the sacking of Graham Alexander.

Known for playing an attractive brand of football, ex-Newcastle United defender Williamson has been a boss in senior football for nearly five years now, and he also has his own play-off campaign to focus on as his Dons side take on Crawley Town.

Barnsley’s League One promotion bid

The regular League One season came to an end on Saturday afternoon, with Barnsley securing a sixth-placed finish with a 1-1 draw against Northampton Town.

The Yorkshire outfit will face Bolton Wanderers in a repeat of last year’s semi-finals, where Barnsley came out as 2-1 victors on aggregate.

Ian Evatt’s side finished fifth last year, but moved up to third in 2024, and only missed out on a top two place by five points.

Given Barnsley’s poor form in recent weeks, the Whites will be going into 3 May’s first leg as the favourites for many people.

The second leg will take place on 7 May in Bolton.

Barnsley need to replace Neill Collins quickly

Barnsley cannot allow themselves to go into the play-offs without a manager, but they are quickly running out of time on that front.

The team has just five days to prepare for a huge clash at home to Bolton, and the turnaround to the second leg is only a few days too.

A move for Williamson could be awkward due to MK Dons also being in a play-off of their own, and the League Two side may not want to discuss terms until their promotion battle is concluded.

This is the worst possible preparation for a play-off, and could be something Barnsley live to regret if they don’t advance past Bolton - it looks more and more likely now that Martin Devaney will have to carry on steadying the ship.