Darren Moore to Barnsley truth emerges as managerial hunt goes on | OneFootball

Contrary to rumours, Darren Moore is not in line to become the new Barnsley manager

Barnsley's status as a League One club will continue into its fifth consecutive season next term, marking their longest period in the third tier since the early 2000s.

They'll be doing it with a new man at the helm, too, after it was announced that Conor Hourihane would be departing Oakwell at the end of the campaign, just one year on from being named the permanent manager after a spell as interim towards the end of last season.

The consensus at Barnsley is that, despite a campaign that may see them finish in the third tier's bottom half for the first time since the 2004/05 season, the Irishman has done the best he could with the tools at hand.

It's been a frustrating year at Oakwell, and Hourihane's frustration was on show after a defeat against Doncaster Rovers back in March, when he claimed that the Tykes wouldn't be pushing for a play-off spot next season, given the state of the club, currently.

Top six or not, Barnsley won't be continuing with the 35-year-old next season, but it also doesn't seem that former Tyke Darren Moore will be the man to take his place.

Darren Moore, Barnsley rumours squashed as manager search reaches "advanced stage"

Moore was instantly touted as the man to succeed Hourihane in the Oakwell dugout after it was announced that Barnsley were going to be replacing the manager next season.

However, Doug O'Kane, the sports editor at the Barnsley Chronicle, has dispelled those murmurs, taking to X to say: "Contrary to some reports and rumours, I understand former Reds player Darren Moore is not currently in the running to be the new Barnsley head coach."

Moore has been out of work since late December, when he was relieved of his duties at Port Vale. While the Valiants' underlying numbers in the third-tier under the 51-year-old weren't akin to being the worst side in League One, the results weren't following suit.

Since his sacking, though, Vale have been much more competitive under Jon Brady, and sit 19th in the third tier since the former Northampton Town man took charge on January 6th, which begs whether an imminent League Two return would be on the cards at Vale Park if Moore was sacked sooner.

Therefore, the rumours linking their former centre-back, who spent two years at Oakwell as a player, had a mixed reception, and some may even be quietly pleased that the links have seemingly dried up.

O'Kane would add, "as reported at the weekend, the search for a new head coach is well underway and at an advanced stage," so only time will tell as to who ends up in the Oakwell dugout come the start of next season.

Barnsley wait in anticipation over the unveiling of a new manager

It's been proven this season through the successes of Lincoln City and Stevenage that clubs with smaller budgets can compete right at the top.

But even with the Barnsley hierarchy dispelling rumours that the playing budget will be slashed in the summer, the direction that Barnsley are going in, irrespective of their budget, doesn't give those in the stands at Oakwell much hope.

The sale of top-scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn on deadline day, leaving Barnsley scrambling to replace him and eventually settling on a loan move for 33-year-old Tom Bradshaw, left a bitter taste in fans' mouths, despite Bradshaw's fan favourite status.

And the fact that discussions over a contract extension for star man David McGoldrick are yet to start, two weeks out from the end of the season, doesn't give them much hope of retaining him, either.

With a defence which has shipped the third-most goals in the division, and a frontline which may get raided in the summer, a lot has to be done to improve the squad and ensure that the Tykes are competitive next season.

A solid manager hire can help with that, and Barnsley fans may likely not have to wait much longer to find out who that hire will be.