Barnsley: Shaw Lane chairman explains '˜karma' tweet

The club ply their trade in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football, and have tried to incorporate ‘Barnsley’ into their name.

After having those attempts blocked by the League One outfit, Wood took to Twitter and said “karma’s a bitch”.

A statement on the Shaw Lane club website read: “First and foremost this [the tweet] was in no way directed at Barnsley FC supporters.

“Most of my friends are Barnsley FC supporters. I work with BFC supporters and even live with BFC supporters. My comment was directed purely at the club’s hierarchy both past and present.

“If I caused offence to supporters then this was not intended and I apologise.

“My issues with the club have been going on for almost seven years now, going back to a former chief executive who personally phoned me to say that BFC will throw their full financial might behind preventing our attempt to incorporate Barnsley within our football club’s name.

“We play in a standard of football where our competitors represent towns and cities where the club’s name is representative of that town or city.

“Barnsley FC have blocked our attempts to use the word Barnsley in our club’s name and have therefore prevented any attempt to have an identity and be proud to have Barnsley in our title in some format.

“The football club have blocked every attempt to try and create a working relationship.

“All we have ever wanted is to do is to work alongside them, not challenge them, but unfortunately they see us as a rival who are hell bent on taking their supporters - even to the extent where they refused to send a first team player to our club to present the end of season awards to an under seven junior team.”

Meanwhile, Simon Grayson is the new front-runner to land the Barnsley hotseat following Jose Morais’ sacking.

Grayson decided against renewing his contract at Bradford City, with Barnsley interested alongside Scunthorpe United.

With the Reds eying an immediate return to the Championship, the League One specialist would fit the bill after masterminding six promotions to the division.