Head Coach aiming to exact revenge over the Terriers in this weekend's Yorkshire derby.
Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom is hoping his side can reverse this season's earlier defeat to Huddersfield Town in front of a packed out Oakwell this weekend.
A last-minute winner from Jonathan Hogg secured the Terriers a narrow 2-1 victory when they two sides last met in August but Heckingbottom has been keen to get back at them ever since.
Oakwell is expecting over 17,000 fans in attendance for this weekend’s game, and the Head Coach believes that will further at to the atmosphere.
He said: “I’ve been looking forward to this one since they scored in the 96th minute, I wanted to play them the following weekend, so I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time and I hope everyone has been the same.
“I’d rather that was how I feel and that we have roles reversed on Saturday. When we played them away, I was in two minds because we had an even smaller squad at that point and we’d won a couple of games and we’d worked our socks off in those games, and you’re thinking what do we need to change, but we couldn’t really change too much.
“A few minutes in I though I’ve got this wrong but we didn’t have the opportunity to freshen it up which was getting to me, we made changes at half time and told them the plan for the second half and that worked a treat.
“We might have corrected this, then we miss a big chance and they get a goal right at the very end which they’ll say is a great goal, I think that was Hogg’s first goal in years.
“We wouldn’t have conceded that if we’d have changed and gone more aggressive but there were lots of things in that game looking back thinking let’s do that again on Saturday.”
The Head Coach has this week welcomed Saidy Janko back into training, but Josh Scowen is still some time away from training with the side.
‘Hecky' gave his team news ahead of the clash.
“Josh still hasn’t trained, our physio is saying between two to four weeks for an ankle sprain, but Josh is determined to be back as soon as he can and ‘Sedgey’ [Craig Sedgewick] is working hard with him.
“He was in yesterday when the lads were off and it’s great because we want him back fit as soon as possible, but also what we don’t want is any sort of re-injury in him going over on it and putting himself out for longer.
“He’s miserable at the best of times isn’t he!” Hecky quipped. “But he’s been good, Sedgey’s really pleased with him, his application and how hard he’s been working and that’s just Josh, he’s only happy if he’s playing football. It’s a good trait to have.
“Aidy is still the same, he’s obviously out longer term because he had the operation. At the end of last week, he was a lot happier with it, it had settled down and he was moving more freely.
“He’s three weeks into his rehab program so he’s still very light with mobility and he’s nowhere near returning to play. Saidy Janko is back in training, but we need to get him games and build him up.
“He’s still not doing everything we want, this is the last part of his rehab, we’ll get through this week and then hopefully touchwood he’s right.
“Everyone is probably carrying little bits and pieces, it’s just general maintenance now, keeping them all fit and on the training pitch and available,” he added.
‘Hecky’ will be absent from the dugout for Saturday’s clash after accepting a one-game touchline ban from the Football Association following an incident against Wolves last month.
He accepted the charge on Monday and explained the procedure and how his match preparation will change ahead of the visit of the West Yorkshire side.
He explained: “I was going down admitting the charge but I was disputing one tiny detail which they ruled in my favour on.
“I knew I’d done wrong, you can’t do that and I know that. The refs have been great and that on Monday was nothing to do with the referees that’s just literally a disciplinary panel.
“Even though I’m down there, I’m trying to give it a bit of context and meaning as to what we do at Barnsley and how we’ve changed the approach with referees and how we treat them properly.
“We don’t want to be fobbed off with stock answers, we treat the whole process right, we don’t just see it as a way for us to moan about decisions, we’re trying to gain insight into why they’re thinking that way.
“Initially it was instinct, I’ve seen the ball go in, Scowey go in and it was instinct like looking after your kids. I’d already took three, four, steps towards it, but when I see him turning away and hiding the ball, I think Scowey’s out of there and I’m in there.
“That’s the bit I admit and I don’t want to do because I don’t want to be sat in the stand.
“You’ve got the team before fine, you have half time and full time, it’s just on the sidelines it will only be me that suffers. We’ll be in contact with the bench no problem, the information will be the same, it’ll just be me not liking it.”
The Terriers will arrive third in the league and Heckingbottom praised David Wagner’s side for the identity they have developed on the pitch.
He feels that, coupled with their current form, makes them a threat to be wary of, but ‘Hecky’ insisted the Reds cannot look at their form, they must only focus on what they can control.
'Hecky' said: “You look at teams that are doing well and Huddersfield have evolved over the season as well. We spoke to their staff after we played them away and they said some good things about us.
“They said we had a real identity on the pitch and they spoke really well of us which is pleasing because that’s all I’ve been wanting to do from day one.
“Watching them, I think they now have an identity. You could see what they were trying to do but there were weaknesses in what they did before, but that’s credit to David and his staff in understanding the English game, and the Championship.
“Adapting their ideas over time, there’s lots of things I don’t think he’ll change and they’ve got better at those things, but they’ve got better at them as well, I think that’s why they’re up there.
“Teams at the top, teams at the bottom, every game poses us different questions and scenarios within the game. Some of that is just down to being home and away, it’s down to the opposition, what they’re chasing or not chasing and their form.
“If you worry about that, you’re focusing on the wrong thing, it’s about getting as many points as possible and taking opportunities when they come.”
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