However, three days after Barnsley were held 3-3 at home by seventh-tier Horsham, Marsh was recalled from the loan early and picked to start
in the replay on November 14.It is unclear who was filling in for Dobson at this time.
Barnsley won the match 3-0 but were expelled a week later. Marsh had not played for York City in the cup, so he was not cup-tied, but you
cannot use someone in a replay if they were not eligible to play for you in the original tie. Horsham would go on to lose to League Two
strugglers Sutton United in the FA Cup’s second round.

In a statement published on the club website, Barnsley said they had “fully cooperated”with the Football Association’s investigation into the
“administrative error” and accepted the decision.They also apologised to fans, players and staff for the “regrettable error”, adding that it “falls
way below the high standard we set at this club” and that a “full internal investigation” had been conducted to “ensure this will never happen
again”.
At this point, El-Ahmad was meant to be finishing the season as CEO before leaving on “amicable terms”to take a similar role at MLS side
Minnesota United.
But two weeks after Barnsley were ejected from the FA Cup, El-Ahmad’s time in charge was cut short, with Jon Flatman appointed as interim
CEO. No comment was made by the club or El-Ahmad to explain his early departure.
If the club hoped that would draw a line under the matter, they were soon to be disappointed, as the EFL opened an investigation into the
paperwork related to Marsh’s loan and recall, as well as the loan of another player, Andrew Dallas, to Scottish side Kilmarnock in September.
While nobody is suggesting this most recent investigation will result in sporting sanctions — Barnsley may not even be charged — it comes
only six months after the club and former co-chairmen Paul Conway and Chien Lee were charged with multiple breaches of the league’s
ownership rules.

That case remains unresolved and it is unclear what sanction, if any, the club might face in that respect. Conway and Lee deny any wrongdoing
and are contesting the charge.
But there is no uncertainty about the fact that Conway and Lee, who still hold minority stakes in the club, are at loggerheads with their former
partners on the board.