Leeds United (h) preview - Old faces

This weekend sees the first West Yorkshire derby of the season as Town play host Leeds United. The match was originally meant to be televised live on Sky Sports on Friday night but following events at Hillsborough in October the match will now be a lunchtime kick off on Saturday. A volatile atmosphere is always expected for this fixture but the managerial history of the two men on the touchline this weekend makes it even more intense.

In the home dugout will be Simon Grayson who only three years ago guided Leeds to promotion from League One, while in the away dugout will be Neil Warnock who achieved promotion with Huddersfield way back in 1995. Both were at one time adored by fans who will be cheering for their opponents this weekend and it will be very interesting to see the reception each manager receives.

Both Grayson and Warnock achieved success when managing the clubs they will face this weekend. Warnock took over at Town in 1993 and the following season guided us to promotion by beating Bristol Rovers at Wembley. Grayson was appointed United manager at the very end of 2008 and after losing out in the playoffs that campaign got Leeds promoted in second place the following season, beating Bristol Rovers who really don't seem to have much luck against West Yorkshire opposition.

Simon Grayson has a better record than Neil Warnock statistically at both clubs

It's fair to say that both clubs had differing ambitions coming into this season. It's all about consolidation for Town, maintaining Championship status while building solid foundations that can be built upon. United have much loftier ambitions however and Warnock has been very vocal about their need to win promotion back to the Premier League sooner rather than later. The club statement when Grayson was sacked read:

"We have 18 games to go this season and are still within touching distance of the playoffs, but felt with the transfer window now closed we needed to make the change at this time in the belief that a new managerial team will be able to get more out of the existing squad of players and make the difference."

Things didn't exactly go to plan however. Leeds were four points away from the playoffs when Grayson was sacked but finished the season 14 points away from the playoffs. It's fair to say then that the appointment of Warnock didn't do what United had hoped in the short-term, but the long-term result is yet to be seen. This season hadn't exactly gone to plan originally but after good back to back home wins against high flying Crystal Palace and Leicester confidence is starting to emerge.

Luciano Becchio scored the winner against Leicester to take his tally for the season to 12 goals

Despite winning their last two league matches Leeds have still only won two away matches this season, and haven't won away from Elland Road since September. Luciano Becchio is in decent form at the minute having scored in both of Leeds recent wins. His 12 goals this season treble the four of our top goalscorer, Lee Novak. Becchio and El Hadji Diouf will cause our defence problems, with one offering a physical threat and the other being very skilful with the ball at his feet.

Town actually have a decent record against our West Yorkshire rivals in recent years. Since we were thumped 4-0 at Elland Road in 2007 we've managed to stay unbeaten in the last five encounters between the two clubs, and we're unbeaten in 11 games on home turf, a record dating back to 1963. We'll be hoping that record continues on Saturday, and it could be players competing against their former clubs who make the difference.

Three players could step out to face former team-mates this weekend, with Lee Peltier actually captaining Leeds since signing from Leicester in the summer. For the home team Adam Clayton is certain to start and will have a point to prove to Neil Warnock who deemed the midfielder surplus to requirements when he took over. Less likely to start is former United top goalscorer Jermaine Beckford who's missed Towns last three matches and remains a doubt.

Jermaine Beckford is battling to be fit to face his former club

If the loanee from Leicester fails in his fitness test Town fans will be hoping James Vaughan, on loan from Norwich, will be passed fit to play. Without these two in recent weeks we've looked woefully weak up front. Lee Novak and Simon Church been the preferred pairing (usually in a 4-5-1 system), with Alan lee being utilised from the bench. That lack of ability up top has seen us fail to win in our last three games, and many fear we'll fail to win again if we have to rely on Novak and Church.

I'm a subscriber to that theory - I fail to see how we can defeat an in-form Leeds side in a feisty West Yorkshire derby without any real fire-power up  front. However, the boost the team will receive if either, or better yet both, are miraculously passed fit for the match could be enough to see us on to three points. The results with Beckford or Vaughan compared to the results, and performances, without them show that we are much better when one or both are in the starting line-up.

Town remain without Keith Southern but Clayton returning after serving his one game suspension is a boost. The former Leeds player has been our outstanding performer this season and will likely be partnered by Oliver Norwood in the middle, but Norwood himself has been well below par recently. Danny Ward has earned the right to start on the left while I'd play Scott Arfield on the right as he has a proven partnership with Jack Hunt and can play narrow to support Norwood and Clayton.

The three formations above show the team I'd select in the scenarios of a) Vaughan and Beckford being fit, b) one of the two being fit, and c) neither being fit. The likely scenario is (c) which would for me see Alan Lee given his first start of the season as he's the only forward we have outside of Vaughan and Beckford who can hold the ball up properly. I'd play 4-4-2 if either or both are fit, but if neither are fit I'd play a more cautious 4-5-1. Far from ideal, but needs must.

As said above, we have a great chance of taking three points if either or both of our absent front men return, but without them we'll again be up against it. My prediction is that neither will be fit, and as such I don't think we'll have the strength up front necessary to win the match. The best case scenario without them would be to stay organised and try grind out a result, with Alan Lee hopefully offering a much better physical presence up front than either Novak or Church are capable of.

The only thing for certain heading into this weekends match is that there will be plenty of hostility in the stands leading to a vibrant atmosphere, and there will be some big challenges on the pitch to add to the occasion. It should be a brilliant West Yorkshire derby bursting with passion, but whether or not we can come out of it with three points is yet to be seen.

Middlesbrough (a) preview - Decisions decisions

Town travel north to the Riverside Stadium as we take on Middlesbrough tomorrow night just three days after travelling south to the Valley. Fans who made it to both matches will have totalled 590 miles by the time they return home to Huddersfield tomorrow evening. Having snatched a draw from the grasp of defeat against Charlton it felt like we'd taken three points rather then one, and a performance as committed as the one we gave on Saturday would be welcomed by all.

Charlton looked to have taken all three points on Saturday having gone 1-0 up in the second half against 10 men after Keith Southern was harshly sent off. That wouldn't have told the whole story though as Town were by far the better team up until the red card incident and remained in the game even with a one man disadvantage. The character shown by the team was outstanding and we thoroughly deserved the point we got when Adam Clayton calmly converted a penalty in the 88th minute.

Keith Southern was harshly sent off against Charlton

Southern's red card not only forced us to play with ten men for an hour on Saturday but it also means we'll now miss the big man for the next three games (presuming an appeal fails). Add to that Adam Clayton picking up his 5th booking of the season against Charlton and we face another uphill battle tomorrow night without our two best central midfielders. Oliver Norwood has been well below par recently but will be the only midfielder certain to start against Middlesbrough - who partners him in the middle of the park is open for debate.

While suspension problems are hampering our midfield, injury problems continue to hamper our forward options. Neither Jermaine Beckford or James Vaughan travelled to London at the weekend and both are considered doubts for tomorrows game also. Lee Novak is adequate cover at this level but depending on him to start games is something we don't want to do too often, the sooner Beckford and Vaughan put their injury troubles behind them the sooner we'll offer more of a goal threat.

Town could start tomorrows match with four key players sidelined through injury or suspension. That's not the best situation to be in, especially against Middlesbrough who have won the last six times they've faced us. Out of 82 league meetings it's quite even with Boro winning 35 and Town winning 30, but in recent meetings it's our opposition who've come out on top. We haven't beat Boro since new years day 1986 - with so many players potentially missing it's hard to see that changing tomorrow night.

Lukas Jutkiewicz is Boro's top goalscorer with five league goals

Boro's good form against Town was replicated by their league form recently until they suffered defeat in their last two games. Before defeats against Cardiff and then Bristol City this past weekend Boro had gone eight league games unbeaten, a run which saw them top the table at the beginning of the month. They now sit 4th in the table after their recent blip but still possess a very good home record with a 67% win ratio at the Riverside Stadium.

The man who'll lead the line against us tomorrow night is well known by Town fans. Lukas Jutkiewicz played seven games for us on loan from Everton and is remember more for his petulance when being subbed against Leeds than his goalscoring ability. However, a successful loan spell at Motherwell and a decent stint at Coventry were enough for Boro to spend a considerable sum for his services. He netted only twice in 19 appearances last season but currently tops Boro's scoring charts with five goals in nine games.

It's not just Jutkiewicz we need to look out for though, Boro have other attacking options in Scott McDonald, Marvin Emnes and Ishmael Miller while the likes of Nicky Bailey and Emmanuel Ledesma can pop up with goals from midfield. Despite their attacking options Boro did concede three goals at home to Bristol City at the weekend, and they will no doubt be weaker at the back without the considerable talents of former Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate who remains injured.

What team Simon Grayson picks to face Middlesbrough tomorrow night is anyone's guess, given our current situation with injuries and suspensions he has some very tough decisions to make. I think our back four pick themselves at the minute in front of Smithies (assuming we play four at the back) but who plays in front of the defence is where the game will be won and lost. The team I'd start with is below:

Considering the lack of options in midfield I was tempted to suggest playing 3-5-2 but I really don't rate Anthony Gerrard who would probably play in that system. I'd stick Scott Arfield in the middle of the park with Norwood and play Ward and Hammill on the wings with Scannell likely to also miss out through injury. I do expect Beckford to be passed fit but if he is unavailable for selection I'd put Robinson in the midfield and play Arfield behind Novak. I'm intrigued by both Murray Wallace and Chris Atkinson but I doubt either would be thrown in at the deep end tomorrow night.

Tomorrow night was always going to be a tough match but with Southern and Clayton missing as well as Beckford and Vaughan battling against injuries it will be even tougher. The character shown when down to ten men on Saturday was brilliant but we'll need all of that and a bit more if we're going to come away with anything against a decent Middlesbrough outfit. I'm going for a narrow home win but hope to be proved wrong again as I was this past weekend.

Charlton (a) preview - Too hard to call

Town travel to London this weekend in what will be a battle between the two better performing teams to have been promoted from League One last season. Charlton, who were promoted as champions, currently sit 10 points above the drop zone in 14th place while Town, promoted via the playoffs, sit 14 points above the drop zone in 8th place.

Town will be looking to bounce back from a defeat and pretty poor performance in the 2-1 home defeat to Brighton at the weekend. Our opponents will be looking to continue their good form having won their last three league outings against Cardiff, Bristol City and Burnley. The form table has the Addicks sitting just above us with 14 points from their last eight matches (4 wins, 2 draws, 2 defeats) while we have 13 points in the same period (4 wins, 1 draw, 3 defeats).

The last meeting between Town and Charlton at the Valley saw the Addicks end our record breaking 43 game unbeaten run. Yann Kermorgant and Hogan Ephraim scored the goals in a comfortable 2-0 win for the home team, and then-gaffer Lee Clark said "our run ended with a bit of a whimper". Although the beginning of the end for the Geordie was actually in May 2011, things really fell to pieces after the "whimper" and he was sacked just over two months later.

Charlton ended our 43 game unbeaten run on their way to promotion last season

Saturdays match will take place at The Valley, but many Charlton fans might have preferred to make the journey to West Yorkshire as their home record is far from great. They have the second best away record in the Championship (4 wins, 3 draws, 2 defeats) but the third worst home record (2 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats). This weekends opposition did however end a run of five home games without a victory with their 5-4 win against Cardiff in their most recent home outing.

Addicks skipper Johnnie Jackson is their top goalscorer with four goals and will provide a constant threat for them from set pieces. Charlton's recent run of three straight wins has also seen striker Danny Haynes find his scoring boots after returning from injury as he's scored in each of the victories. Although they haven't managed a clean sheet at home since August Charlton have kept clean sheets in their last two matches away at Bristol City and Burnley.

Emmanuel Frimpong will be hoping to make his debut for our opponents this weekend having this week signed on loan from Arsenal. The holding midfielder is best known for getting sent off on his full league debut for the Gunners against Liverpool last season. Many had expected the former England youth international to make the breakthrough at his parent club by now and he'll be hoping to use his loan spell at Charlton to prove himself.

Danny Haynes has scored in three consecutive matches

Town head into this weekends match hoping to deliver a better performance than the one which saw us lose against Brighton this past weekend. The game was effectively lost by half-time and we didn't have enough about is in attack to get back into the game. Jermaine Beckford should hopefully be fit again to play against Charlton but James Vaughan will more than likely miss out through injury.

Having drawn one, won one and lost one in our last three matches it's hard to call this weekends match from a Town point of view. We have the ability to play really well on our day as shown in performances against Blackpool and Wolves already this season, but unfortunately we can also be really bad when it's not our day as shown in performances against Peterborough and Millwall.

My preference would once again be to see Oliver Norwood dropped to the bench to allow Adam Clayton and Keith Southern to play in the middle of the park. Scott Arfield or Sean Scannell can play on the wing to allow us to offer more down the flanks whilst at the same time looking much more solid in the middle of the pitch as Norwood has looked woefully short of form in recent months.

Until Murray Wallace is deemed ready for first team football Peter Clarke and Joel Lynch remains our best pairing at the heart of the defence, while Jack Hunt and Paul Dixon are first choice full-backs. Clayton and Southern are the first two names on the team sheet while Danny Ward and Scott Arfield would be on the flanks for me. If Beckford is fit he has to start, and Novak would just get the nod above Simon Church to offer much needed running in what will be a difficult match.

Although form has counted for nothing in the Championship this season Town might just be playing Charlton at the wrong time. After an average start and then a poor run of form the Addicks have won their last three games, keeping clean sheets away from home in their last two matches. If at least one of Beckford and Vaughan are available it will be a huge boost, and if we play like we all know we can then we have a chance, but unfortunately my prediction for this weekend is a narrow home win.

Brighton (h) review - Square pegs, round holes

Brighton ended their bad run of form which had seen them win only one of nine league games (they'd also failed to beat us in their last nine attempts) at our expense by defeating Town 2-1 at the John Smiths Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Two first-half goals from the impressive Will Buckley were enough to wrap up the points, and although Simon Church grabbed a late consolation  we never really deserved anything from the game.

Brighton played some decent stuff and while it was Buckley who took the headlines Liam Bridcutt was an immense presence in midfield. For me the game was won and lost in the middle of the park where in the first half especially Brighton won all the important battles, Bridcutt in particular standing out.

The former Chelsea youth man seemed to find space every time he was on the ball, and denied our players space when we were in possession. If you were looking for a polar opposite of Bridcutt on Saturday then Town offered it in the shape of Oliver Norwood. Having been hyped up so much by Town fans after a decent start to the season the Northern Ireland international is really struggling for form currently.

Oliver Norwood is struggling for form

The early season composure on the ball has disappeared and Norwood now seems a little nervy when in possession. Perhaps even more worryingly at this level where there are so many good midfielders who can punish teams, Norwood bares an uncanny resemblance to Anton Robinson when not on the ball. No real lack of endeavour but all too often he's left chasing shadows while the ball is just passed around him.

Oliver is an important part of the squad, but his inclusion on Saturday was a major factor in us losing the game. Could Novak have taken one of the chances he failed to convert? Maybe. Could we have defended better for both of their goals? Maybe. Could the referee have given us a few more decision? Maybe.

Could we have coped better in the middle of the park had Adam Clayton been partnering Keith Southern instead of Norwood? Yes.

I'm a believer in picking a team based on form, and currently Adam Clayton is in great form. He's been our best player in almost every game we've played in the last couple of months and earned the right to play in the middle of the park against Barnsley last week. He started the season playing on the right but a string of good performances earned him the chance to play in his favoured central position, and he didn't disappoint.

Why then was he dropped back to the right against Brighton just to make way for the well out of form Norwood? Play your best player in his best position, it seems pretty simple to me. If Clayton and Southern had started the game in the middle of the park it would have been an entirely different game, but as it was Brighton dominated the midfield in the first half and were out of sight by the time Clayton was pushed infield.

Clayton closing down the brilliant Liam Bridcutt

The man who came on to replace Norwood and swap positions with Clayton was Scott Arfield, and for me he's someone who deserves a chance. His only start this season was in the opening game against Cardiff and he didn't do too much wrong - if it means we get to see Clayton in a central role give him a go. Norwood will hopefully rediscover his form sooner rather than later, but for the time being he needs dropping.

Square pegs, round holes - I don't get it.

Brighton (h) preview - More of the same

After a productive week in which we took seven points from a possible nine against Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers and Barnsley, Town have had sufficient time to recover before this weekends clash with Brighton. This will be the first time the two teams have met since April 2011 when Town won a close encounter 3-2 in what was the last ever match at the Withdean Stadium. 

While Brighton had already secured promotion to the Championship, that win for us kept the pressure on Southampton at the top of League One, but ultimately it would be the Saints who finished in second spot while we were beaten by Peterborough in the Playoff Final. Town finally secured promotion to the Championship last term, and head into this weekends match three points ahead of the Seagulls, who have dropped off slightly after a good start to the season.

Brighton are in poor form both in the league and in recent encounters against Town

Having topped the Championship at the end of September, Brighton have won only one game since and could end November in the bottom half of the table if their current slide continues. Heading into this weekends contest their form will offer hope for Town fans as they have won only one of their last nine matches, and have held leads in three of their last four but ultimately failed to take three points. They haven't won away from home since they beat Millwall at the New Den in September and remain in eighth place only because of their good start to the season.

The Seagulls recent record against us will also offer Town fans a reason to be optimistic ahead of Saturdays game as they have failed to beat us in their last nine attempts. The last meeting between the two teams was the aforementioned 3-2 Town win at the Withdean Stadium in which Benik Afobe scored two goals including a dramatic late winner. Recent matches in Huddersfield have also gone our way - we won the last meeting 2-1 in December 2010 while the biggest winning margin ever between the two teams was our 7-1 victory in August 2009.

Simon Grayson however will definitely not be taking our opponents lightly as they are better than their current form suggests and possess some top players at this level. Wayne Bridge is on loan from Manchester City and has impressed so far this season while the likes of Liam Bridcutt, Tomasz Kuszczak and top goalscorer Craig Mackail-Smith are all key players. The former Peterborough United striker is well known by Town fans having scored against us in our 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

Given the form of Brighton it could be a blessing in disguise that we play them this weekend as we are on a decent run and will be looking to keep that run going. Key to our recent form are the performances of midfield duo Adam Clayton and Keith Southern. Oliver Norwood had been carried to an extent by these two in recent weeks and was dropped for last weekends win against Barnsley, and I reckon Grayson will stick with two central midfielders on Saturday.

Adam Clayton has been massively impressive in recent weeks

That will mean Clayton will be allowed to continue to flourish in the centre of midfield instead of dropping to the right, and we can play two more attacking wide players. Given his two impressive performances from the bench last week Danny Ward should return to the starting eleven, while Sean Scannell could lose his place given he failed to impress against Blackburn and in particularly against Barnsley. Simon Church looked good on his debut and might retain his place on the right wing.

Up front we have a strike-force in good form as Jermaine Beckford scored the winner at Oakwell while Lee Novak scored two goals against Blackburn. Beckford will obviously be our biggest goal threat while Novak will endeavour to run the channels but also offer the option of switching to the right wing to allow Church to play up front. James Vaughan will definitely miss out but with these three, plus the option of Alan Lee who has been immense from the bench, we have plenty of fire power in our ranks.

Town have looked much better defensively in our last three matches since Joel Lynch returned to partner Peter Clarke at the heart of our defence and when fit that partnership should always start. Jack Hunt will remain at right back while Paul Dixon, who impressed most against Barnsley despite not impressing me, should stay on the left side of our defence. Alex Smithies has done nothing to deserve dropping so my starting eleven for this Saturdays match would be as below:

Although Brighton's recent form both in the league and against Town suggests Saturdays game should be comfortable, it will be anything but. They have the best defence in the league, conceding only 14 goals in 16 matches, and have not lost a match by more than one goal so far this season. These stats alone show how difficult this weekends match will be, and show that our attacking players will have to be on top of their game to penetrate a very effective defensive unit.

There's no doubting Saturdays opposition will offer more of a threat on Saturday than Barnsley did last weekend, but if we remain solid and take our chances like we have been doing there's no reason we can't continue our good form. The performances of Clayton and Southern should dictate how we play as a team and if they can repeat their feats of recent weeks we should be okay. My prediction is another hard fought win for the Terriers.

Barnsley (a) review - Unspectacular But Effective

Town finally succeeded in exorcising past Playoff demons at the third time of asking by beating Barnsley 1-0 at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon. Having failed to gain revenge first for 2010 against Peterborough, and then for 2009 against Millwall, we at least erased memories of 2006 by beating the Tykes in what was a very efficient if unspectacular performance.

After finishing my Wetherspoons breakfast and sinking a few pints in Walkabout I made my way down to the stadium to see that my pre-match prediction of Oliver Norwood dropping to the bench had come true. The Northern Ireland international has undoubted ability but Simon Grayson agreed that with two attacking wide players and two centre forwards, Adam Clayton and Keith Southern is currently our best midfield pairing. This rung true as Town were good value for a 1-0 win with most fans arguing between Clayton and Southern for man of the match.

We lined up with the expected back five of Hunt, Clarke, Lynch and Dixon with Smithies in goal behind them. Clayton and Southern took up the reigns in the middle of the park with Scannell and new signing Church on the flanks, while Novak and Beckford started up front. A minutes silence was impeccably served before a representative of the British armed forces abseiled from the top of the main stand to deliver the match ball. The game kicked off with the sun shining down on the fantastic away support who had made the short journey to South Yorkshire.

A very sunny Oakwell on Saturday afternoon

The home side were the better team in the first half but suffered from a real lack of a cutting edge in the final third. Kelvin Etuhu looked dangerous down our left and seemed to have the beating of Paul Dixon but his final ball was very wasteful. Marlon Harewood also looked quite dangerous, holding the ball up well and spreading the ball out wide, but it was clear to see Barnsley need additions to their forward line. Keith Hill had apparently tried signing Simon Church prior to his arrival at Town last week, and it would eventually be Church who provided the ball for us take the lead.

Upon leaving the stadium a few Barnsley fans were adamant that the turning point in the game was referee Mark Haywood's decision to only give Alex Smithies a yellow card for handling the ball outside his area. The Town keeper flew out to the edge of his area to claim the ball but slid further than he'd expected and clearly handled the ball about a yard over the line. Given that the two closest players to the incident were both defenders I think a red card would have been very harsh and the referee made the correct call.

Outside of that one incident the home fans didn't have much to get excited about in the first half. Although their build-up play was attractive they were impotent further up the pitch, wasting numerous chances when they'd made space out wide. The one half-chance they did manage to create was from a set piece when a good ball into the box was headed wide by Harewood who had rose above Keith Southern on the edge of the six yard box.

Barnsley's profligacy was punished ten minutes before half-time when Sean Scannell made his only contribution to the game to start a flowing move which ended in Jermaine Beckford netting his third goal in six games since signing on loan from Leicester. Scannell beat two men and cut inside to play a neat ball down the left to Simon Church who drilled a lovely cross along the six yard box which Beckford headed past Luke Steele at his near post.

On loan Jermaine Beckford scored his third goal in six matches

The second-half started with Town sitting back and allowing Barnsley much of the possession, but once again the Tykes created nothing of note. Adam Clayton and Keith Southern looked very good in the middle of the park and eventually Town got a stranglehold on the game and finished the last half hour looking very comfortable. Lee Novak, who had been very poor in the first half, epitomised the hard working nature of our team and improved significantly in the second period to offer a much needed outlet.

It was Novak who came closest to killing the game off for us as his mazy run ended with a decent effort which was well saved by a diving Steele (or Smithies if you watch the Football League Show). The former non-league player looked every part the Championship player in the second period and worked well alongside loanee Simon Church who looks to be a very astute signing. The only other incident of real note was when substitute Alan Lee went down as he rounded the keeper, but Steele clearly played the ball and the referee waved away Lee's signature over the top protests.

On the subject of Alan Lee, he was superb in his cameo role from the bench, as was Danny Ward who for the second time in a week came off the bench to make a great contribution. Simon Grayson used our strong bench very well as first Ward came on to offer a better threat down our left side, and then Lee came on to hold the ball up and effectively kill the game off. After getting things wrong against Peterborough and Millwall the gaffer has re-discovered his midas touch to see us claim seven points from a possible nine from our last three matches.

Player ratings:

Alex Smithies - 7
Jack Hunt - 7
Peter Clarke - 8
Joel Lynch - 7
Paul Dixon - 6
Sean Scannell - 6
Adam Clayton - 9
Keith Southern - 8
Simon Church - 7
Lee Novak - 8 (Alan Lee - 8)
Jermaine Beckford - 7 (Danny Ward - 8)

Barnsley (a) preview - Drop Norwood

Town travel to South Yorkshire tomorrow to take on Barnsley having not faced the Tykes since we were beaten 3-1 in a disappointing second leg of the League One Playoffs back in May 2006. Despite winning the  first leg 1-0 at Oakwell we never really looked up for it at The Galpharm and three second half goals in the space of 20 minutes sent Barnsley to the Millennium Stadium. They would beat Swansea City on penalties to secure promotion to The Championship, the hero that day being Nick Colgan who is now the goalkeeping coach at our academy.

Since winning promotion that day Barnsley have remained in The Championship, surviving season after season despite constantly being tipped for the drop. They currently sit 21st in the league table (the same position they finished in last season) and head into this weekends clash having lost their last three matches, winning only once in their last seven outings. Despite not being in great form the Tykes will see this weekend as the perfect chance to get back on winning ways - a feisty local derby against a team who've lost their last two away games convincingly against struggling teams.

Barnsley gaffer Keith Hill had hoped to have a new striker in his squad for tomorrows match, but is as yet to succeed in bringing in any targets. Reading front man Simon Church was a long-time target but Hill will have to set his team up to defend against the Welsh international who signed on loan for us yesterday. With Mido and top goalscorer Craig Davies still out with injuries Hill will have to choose from Chris Dagnall, Marlon Harewood and academy product Danny Rose up front. Town on the other hand will be without James Vaughan but could welcome back Jermaine Beckford into contention alongside Church, Alan Lee and midweek hero Lee Novak.

Town played a 4-5-1 system midweek against Blackburn Rovers who are very strong in the middle of the park with Dickson Etuhu, Danny Murphy and Ruben Rochina. However, Barnsley are unable to boast such quality and I'd like to see us start with two front men in an attempt to get at the opposition and take three points from the match. Lee Novak has more than likely earned his place in the team if he's fit and either Church or Beckford could play up front alongside him with Alan Lee remaining a good option from the bench. 

However, it's in the midfield where I'd like to see a big decision made. Oliver Norwood made himself a hero almost overnight upon his arrival from Manchester United in the summer. He started the season very well and impressed with his set-piece deliveries but in recent weeks has been consistently poor, outshone by both Keith Southern and Adam Clayton. 

Norwood gained admirers with his early season form but has been below par recently

If we stick with a five man midfield then I'd like to see Scott Arfield given a chance who did nothing wrong in his one league start against Cardiff City, but my preference would be for Norwood to make way for another forward. Southern and Clayton offer plenty of battle in the middle of the park while in the last few matches Clayton has shown he can be just as creative as Northern Ireland international Norwood. There's no doubting Oliver has a lot to offer and is a key part of our squad, but his recent performances for me have earned him a place on the bench.

Out wide we have options with Danny Ward, Sean Scannell and Adam Hammill, while Clayton or Arfield could perform the more industrious wide midfielder role if needed. I'd go with pace down the flanks to get at Barnsley - Scannell deserves a run in the team to see what he can do while Ward was impressive in his 30 minute appearance from the bench on Tuesday. Hammill has the potential to be a top player at this level with his obvious technical ability but he's too often infuriating with his tendency to try silly tricks instead of getting a shot away or a cross into the box.

At the back Jack Hunt has to come back into the team to replace Callum Woods who has been badly exposed in recent weeks. Paul Dixon remains our best option on the left side of defence while Peter Clarke should captain the side alongside Joel Lynch who makes the back four look much more solid with his presence. Alex Smithies will maintain his 100% appearance record between the sticks this season, meaning my starting eleven would be as below:

Barnsley have a reputation for being one of our bogey teams, but our overall record against them isn't too bad. Out of 58 league matches between the two clubs we've won 26 compared to their 21, with 11 games ending in stalemates. More recently, since the turn of the century games between the two clubs have been very even with three wins apiece and two draws. The most recent game was the aforementioned Playoff second leg in which Barnsley were victorious, their three goals in 20 minutes cancelling out Jon Worthington's fortuitous goal.

I therefore don't subscribe to the theory that we have to worry about this weekends opposition being a bogey team. If we go to Oakwell tomorrow with the intention of taking the game to them, exploiting our pace down the flanks and avoiding playing aimless long balls down the channels, I fancy our chances of winning. However, if we turn up and perform like we have done in our previous two away matches we will once again lose and lose convincingly. I fancy the first option tomorrow, and my prediction is a hard fought 3-1 win for Town.

By Terrier1987cas