BARNSLEY FOOTBALL CLUB

So far this term Paul Heckingbottom’s men have defeated both Rotherham and Leeds in front of their home faithful, with a 4-0 win against the Millers in August and a thrilling 3-2 victory against the Whites last month.

Despite going into this derby clash on the back of a 2-0 loss against Brighton, it was only the Club’s fourth defeat in their last 15 league games; winning eight and drawing three which leaves the Reds in ninth place.

Huddersfield arrive in South Yorkshire having secured their sixth league triumph in a row on Tuesday night.

Phillip Billing’s late winner against Reading moved David Wagner’s side to within four points of the top two; with the Terriers having tasted victory in 11 of their last 13 league games.

The Club’s only defeat during that spell came away from home at Sheffield Wednesday but despite that, they arrive at Oakwell having won five of their last six on the road in the Championship.

The Reds will be looking to end a run of two straight defeats in this fixture when Huddersfield arrive at Oakwell for the first time in nearly four years.

Back in August 2013 goals from Chris O’Grady and Marcus Pedersen earned Barnsley a 2-1 home win but after losing 5-0 in the reverse fixture, the Reds suffered another defeat earlier this season.

Despite Alfie Mawson’s second-half equaliser, Jonathan Hogg’s late goal secured all three points for David Wagner’s side at the John Smith’s Stadium.

That loss was hard to take for the Reds and Paul Heckingbottom will be desperate to see his side regain the bragging rights as they go in search of a 27th victory against the Terriers.

The Reds are set to be without midfielder Josh Scowen once again due to a sprained ankle which has seen him miss the last two games.

George Moncur has deputised in Scowen’s absence so far, but Alex Mowatt will be hoping for a return to the starting XI after playing the final 10 minutes against Brighton last weekend following a three-match ban.

Ryan Williams and Adam Hammill will also be pushing for recalls, while Gethin Jones and Callum Elder will be vying for a spot at full-back.

Huddersfield are set to be without midfield trio Jonathan Hogg (groin), Kasey Palmer (hamstring) and Sean Scannell (ankle) once again.

Elsewhere, on-loan Chelsea forward Izzy Brown should recover in time from a bout of illness, while Joe Lolley and Collin Quaner will be eager to return to David Wagner’s starting side after dropping to the bench on Tuesday night.

Tim Robinson will take charge of a Barnsley game for the second time this season.

The West Sussex-based official was the man in the middle when the Reds lost 2-0 at Brighton in September. Despite that, Barnsley did win their only other meeting with Robinson; beating Swindon Town 1-0 in January 2016.

Visitors Huddersfield have met with Robinson just once, with the Terriers drawing 1-1 at home to Charlton back in August 2014 under his charge.

Although he hasn’t been involved with David Wagner’s side this season, the Sussex-based referee has overseen 29 games in total, dishing out 133 yellow cards and nine reds including two in his last three matches.

When Huddersfield completed the loan signing of Chelsea forward Izzy Brown in January, David Wagner called it “a perfect signing.” 

Brown – who netted three times and provided five assists in 20 appearances for Rotherham in the first half of the season – has certainly lived up to that billing; finding the back of the net four times in his first 10 outings for the Terriers.

They’ve all been vital goals too, with the recently turned 20-year-old bagging in wins against Ipswich, Rochdale, Leeds and QPR.

Able to play in any of the front four positions, the former Vitesse Arnhem loanee has slotted easily into Huddersfield’s fluid 4-2-3-1 formation, with his flexibility, pace and skill seeing him become a real fans’ favourite at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Having previously made just one senior appearance off the bench for parent Club Chelsea, the England U20 international has showcased in his short time with the Terriers that he has both the ability and mentality to play at the highest level of English football.

Whether that will be with Chelsea remains to be seen, but what is certain is that the Peterborough-born attacker has the talent in his locker to help take the Terriers to the Premier League this season.

Born in Barnsley, Antony Kay rose up through the youth ranks at his hometown Club to proudly make his debut in August 2000 at the age of just 18.

He ended that campaign with seven appearances to his name and that figure would only increase over the next six seasons, with Kay featuring 197 times for the Reds, bagging 12 goals in the process.

His first strike for the Club actually came in a game in which he was also sent off against Chesterfield but despite that, the versatile defender’s proudest achievement in a Barnsley shirt came in the 2005-06 season.

That’s because Kay scored the Club’s fourth and final penalty at the Millenium Stadium as the Reds defeated Swansea to clinch promotion to the Championship.  

Despite being a regular in the second tier for the Tykes, he was released at the end of the 2006-07 campaign; joining Tranmere on a two-year deal.

Following that spell at Prenton Park, Kay signed for visitors Huddersfield on a free transfer in July 2009.

The defender-turned-midfielder was involved in three promotion pushing seasons for the Terriers, with a play-off semi-final loss against Millwall in the first, a play-off final defeat against Peterborough at Old Trafford in his second, before a penalty shoot-out victory against Sheffield United clinched the Club’s promotion a year later.

Kay was not involved in that game however and despite reaching the Championship, he was released by the Terriers after making over 100 starts for the Club.

Following that spell in West Yorkshire the former Barnsley man enjoyed four years with the MK Dons, before agreeing a switch to Bury in June.

Barnsley 1-2 Blackpool (FA Cup) (17/01/2017)

Barnsley 3-2 Leeds (21/01/2017)

Barnsley 1-3 Wolves (31/1/2017)

Barnsley 0-0 Preston (4/2/2017)

Barnsley 0-2 Brighton (18/2/2017)

Wigan 0-1 Huddersfield (2/1/2017)

Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Huddersfield (14/1/2017)

Rochdale 0-4 Huddersfield (FA Cup) (28/1/2017)

QPR 1-2 Huddersfield (11/2/2017)

Rotherham 2-3 Huddersfield (14/2/2017)