Exclusive: Barnsley coach agrees to join Bristol Rovers
Jon Stead has agreed to leave his role as Barnsley assistant manager to reunite with Darrell Clarke at Bristol Rovers, sources have told Football Insider.
Clarke was sacked by Barnsley back in March before being appointed for a second spell as Bristol Rovers boss on Tuesday following their relegation to League Two.
Stead first moved to Oakwell to work alongside Neill Collins in the summer of 2023, having also been his number two at the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and remained in the position alongside Clarke during his 10-month spell at the helm.
However, sources have revealed to Football Insider that Stead will now join Clarke as number two at the Memorial Stadium.
Barnsley finished 12th in League One this season, with a poor second half of the campaign seeing them finish 17 points adrift of the play-off places.
Conor Hourihane took over the managerial role at Oakwell after Clarke’s departure, making the step-up from a player-coach position.
Clarke sticks to what he knows best
Bristol Rovers reappointed Clarke this week, in the hope that their former manager would repeat the job he did almost a decade ago.
The 47-year-old guided Rovers to back-to-back promotions, winning the Conference play-off final in 2014/15 before clinching automatic promotion from League Two a year later.
Clarke has brought in Stead to help The Gas try and secure an immediate return back to League One.
During his playing career, Stead spent three years at Rovers’ rivals Bristol City between 2010 and 2013, and also had spells at Notts County and Huddersfield Town.
Bristol Rovers set for League Two campaign
Clarke and Stead will be tasked with taking charge of Rovers’ first campaign in League Two since the 2021/22 season.
The Gas finished 22nd in League One this season, four points off survival after losing nine out of their last 10 games.
| Position | Name | Games Played | Points |
| 20 | Burton | 46 | 47 |
| 21 | Crawley | 46 | 46 |
| 22 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 43 |
| 23 | Cambridge United | 46 | 38 |
| 24 | Shrewsbury | 46 | 33 |
They had finished in the lower regions of the table for the past few years, and finally succumbed to relegation this time around.
Manager Inigo Calderon was sacked immediately after the final-day defeat to Blackpool, opening the door for club legend Clarke to return.
Clarke is somewhat of a League Two expert, helping both the Gas and Port Vale out of the division.
Rovers fans will be hoping he can complete the hat-trick next season, and guide them back up into the third tier.