Professional Development League, 1 September 2026
Barnsley U21 claimed a 4-3 victory over Colchester United U21 in the Professional Development League on Tuesday evening, a match that produced seven goals across the opening hour. The result leaves Barnsley sixth with four points from two games, while Colchester remain tenth on three points after their first defeat of the campaign.
Goals came at one-minute intervals for stretches of the opening exchanges, with the first four arriving between the first and eleventh minutes. And here's the thing about matches like this — you watch the clock more than the ball, because the tempo shifts so quickly. By then, the score was already 2-2, and neither side had worked out who was pressing higher.
A fifth goal arrived in the eighteenth minute, followed by two more after the interval, one in the forty-third and another in stoppage time at forty-five plus three. To be fair, neither goalkeeper had much to do all evening, but that's what happens when you play open football against a side that throws everything at it.
Colchester's form has been uneven — a 4-0 victory over Fleetwood U21 in mid-August contrasted sharply with a 7-0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers Reserves. Barnsley, meanwhile, had drawn 2-2 with Charlton Athletic U21 before beating Cardiff City U21 2-1, suggesting a side that's solid enough to avoid defeat but not dominant enough to close out games.
The table tells a simple story: four points separate the two sides, and both have played exactly two matches. Barnsley's win extends their unbeaten run, while Colchester's loss means they'll need to respond quickly if they want to move off the bottom half. The gap remains small, and these are early days in the competition.