Carlton Palmer makes Barnsley prediction after play-off heartbreak | OneFootball

Barnsley suffered play-off heartbreak on Monday as they were beaten by Sheffield Wednesday in the final kick of the game.

The Tykes went up against their Yorkshire rivals in a bid to secure Championship football for next season.

The game was evenly matched between the two sides, as nothing could separate them in normal time, and the same was nearly said for extra time.

However, in the 123rd minute, Sheffield Wednesday’s Josh Windass notched on to a fine cross to head the Owls to the Championship, which means Barnsley are set for another season in League One.

Carlton Palmer’s thoughts on Barnsley for next season

The result will be a bitter pill to swallow for Barnsley, but the Yorkshire outfit will be hoping the taste of Monday’s defeat can be a catalyst for success next season.

Expectations will be on Barnsley and Michael Duff again next season, and it will be up to them to live up to their expectations.

Here at FLW, we asked EFL pundit Carlton Palmer whether he thinks Barnsley are one of the early favourites for League One next season after just narrowly missing out on promotion.

He told FLW: “I was really impressed by Barnsley’s young side; Michael Duff has done a terrific job.

“They were unlucky yesterday; these young players will be better for the experience. Next season I expect them to be in the mix, but you can't say that they are clear favourites to win the league next season. Reading, Blackburn, and Wigan were relegated from the Championship, and you would assume that all three of those sides will have the funds and will be in contention for the title.

“But certainly I expect Barnsley’s team to be better and them to recruit some more players and they are definitely going to be in the mix.”

Are Barnsley favourites for promotion next season?

There is no doubt that expectations around Barnsley were already high before this season, but heading into the next campaign, they will be even higher now.

The club started off poorly this season, but for the majority of the campaign, they were one of the strongest teams in the league and earned their place in the play-offs.

So, now that Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday have left League One, two big hitters, there is an expectation that Barnsley should be at the very top end of League One next season.

However, as Carlton Palmer mentions, there are three sides coming from the Championship who will have big expectations as well. So, there is no guarantee, but there is no reason why Barnsley can't do what they did this season or achieve even more.