Former Doncaster Rovers, Leicester City and Blackpool man installed as new favourite for Barnsley job

The semi-finals of the League One play-offs await Barnsley but they are currently being led by interim head coach Martin Devaney. ‘Disco’ stepped into the dugout following the sacking of Neill Collins last week.

He oversaw a 1-1 draw with Northampton Town at the weekend, a result that secured Barnsley a spot in the end-of-season knockout showdown. However, in his post-match press conference, Devaney admitted he did not know if he would be in charge for the play-offs.

Wellens has now been installed as the BetVictor favourite to take the reins at 5/4, leapfrogging the likes of MK Dons boss Mike Williamson and Dominik Thalhammer.

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The aforementioned pair have both been linked with the role and are priced at 5/2 and 4/1 respectively. Current caretaker Devaney is an outside contender at 8/1, as is his former Barnsley colleague Michael Duff.

Wellens hung up his boots in 2018 and led Oldham Athletic in his first managerial role. He then had stints at Swindon Town and Salford City before returning to Doncaster Rovers, who he represented as a player.

He was sacked by Rovers in December 2021 but sealed a return to the dugout later on in the season, landing the Leyton Orient gig. He oversaw promotion to the third tier in the 2022/23 season and steered Orient to an impressive 11th-placed finish in League One this term.

Barnsley will host Bolton Wanderers in the first leg of their play-off semi-final on Friday (May 3), before visiting the Trotters on Tuesday, May 7. The clubs will be fighting it out for a chance to face either Peterborough United or Oxford United at Wembley.