Barnsley’s promotion dreams ended on Tuesday night with a 5-4 aggregate defeat to Bolton. Following his farewell game for Barnsley, John McAtee released a statement to the club’s supporters.
The 24-year-old was on loan with the Tykes this season, having joined from Luton Town in the summer.
He was an important member of the League One team as they pushed for promotion back to the Championship.][poutr
McAtee made 40 appearances for the Yorkshire club while on loan at Oakwell, helping the team finish sixth in the table.
He scored 12 goals and assisted four times, but he was unable to help the team reach a second consecutive play-off final after losing 5-4 on aggregate to Bolton Wanderers last night.
John McAtee gives a goodbye message to Barnsley.
McAtee sent a message to fans on social media after the club was eliminated from the playoffs on Tuesday night.
He thanked the club’s supporters, players, and coaching staff for a fantastic year.
“Gutted the way things ended last night but I’m so proud to be a part of this club this season, from my teammates to the coaching staff and especially the fans,” McAtee posted on Twitter.
“Thank you for everything, you reds!”
McAtee joined Luton in the summer of 2022, but spent his debut season on loan with his former club Grimsby Town.
Following the Hatters’ elevation to the Premier League, he was loaned out to League One last summer as Barnsley sought to construct a Championship-caliber squad.
However, a 3-2 victory away to Bolton on Tuesday evening was unable to compensate for Ian Evatt’s side’s 3-1 first leg defeat.
This eliminated the Tykes from promotion contention, relegating them to another season in the third tier.
Goals from Sam Cosgrove and Adam Phillips had Barnsley dreaming of an epic recovery after going 5-2 behind on aggregate, but the deficit eventually
It proved insurmountable.
McAtee’s future at Luton remains uncertain as the Premier League season concludes.
Rob Edwards’ team is still fighting for survival in the top level, although they are 18th in the table with only two games remaining.
The margin to Nottingham Forest in 17th place is three points, thus Luton will need to win at least one of their next two games to close the gap.
The Hatters face West Ham and Fulham, where they will most certainly need at least four points to survive due to their lower goal difference.
McAtee enjoyed a good Barnsley loan stay.
McAtee’s move to Barnsley has been fairly successful, even if the club did not ultimately earn promotion.
He will return to Luton in the summer and might help Edwards’ squad next season if they return to the Championship.
If the Hatters are relegated, they would undoubtedly try to return to the Premier League right away, which would be an interesting endeavor for McAtee to be involved in.
However, if they manage to stay up, another loan could be on the cards, and McAtee may not be ready to play in the top flight just yet.
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