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Dike scores game winner as Barnsley jumps into playoff spot

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Barnsley’s push for promotion to the English Premier League took another major boost on Saturday with Daryl Dike playing the hero for the second-tier club.

Dike scored the game-winning goal in Barnsley’s 1-0 home win against Birmingham City on Saturday. It was Dike’s third goal since joining the Championship side on loan from Orlando City, and the club’s sixth-consecutive win.

https://twitter.com/lewish90/status/1368232929508401157?s=21

The lone goal of the match came early into the second half, as Dike rifled a right-footed shot into the top corner. It was a confident finish from the 20-year-striker, who continued his good run of form in the starting lineup.

Barnsley hung on for an important three points in its quest for promotion to the EPL.

Dike also won 13 individual duels from his striker position while also recording two shots on goal and winning 10 of his 25 aerial battles.

Saturday’s win moves Barnsley into sixth place, the final playoff place in the division. Up next for Dike and his teammates is a home date with Derby County.

Comments

  1. If the goalkeeper would have got his hands to ball I’m pretty sure they would’ve been blown off his arms.

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  2. Obviously Barnsley can’t pay 20 million some sources say it is less but if they don’t win promotion they aren’t even going to be able to pay 3 million. I don’t know that even as well as he’s scoring that he’s ready for EPL, and there aren’t many Championship sides that could afford him either so Germany? Italy?

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    • Just as a frame of reference, Ollie Watkins was sold from Brentford (Championship playoff team) to Aston Villa (Premier League) last year for $34 million, after scoring 25 in 46 league games. Dike has 3 in 7 games for Barnsley, so slightly less production in a much smaller sample size.
      We’ll see where Dike stands at the end of the year, but even if he keeps scoring at this rate, I’m not sure if EPL teams would be interested in a striker with one year in MLS and maybe 8 goals in a little less than a half season in the Championship.
      More importantly for me though is where Dike stands with the USMNT. He’s got to be moving up the pecking order at striker, and right now it might Dike and Sargent and then everyone else. You’ve got to think that we’ll see him later this month against NI and Jamaica.

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      • Yeah I looked at moves for Championship strikers last year two. He’ll have to stay very hot to move to EPL with only a half season. I’m not sure where he is for the NT, how Barnsley uses him doesn’t really fit with how we want to play. But he certainly would be a good option late in games when pushing for a goal.

    • Seems to me the $20 million buyout for Barnsley is almost a red herring at this point. The more relevant questions are (1) “what is the price at which OCSC/MLS are willing to sell and (2) who would be the interested buyers at such a price point? If the number was $2 million, I’d think Orlando would probably say “no thanks”. But it was $7-10 million? That’s a big fee for an MLS player, and it doesn’t just have to be Barnsley who they negotiate with. Could certainly become interesting if he notches a few more goals.

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