Everything you need to know ahead of tomorrow's trip to West London..
Brentford v Barnsley
Barnsley will be hoping for some joy on the road when they travel to Brentford tomorrow following back-to-back home defeats earlier this week.
Defeats against both Fulham and Newcastle at Oakwell have seen the Reds drop down to 15th place in the Championship, with Paul Heckingbottom’s side now without a win in their last six games.
Despite also losing their last two away from home, the Reds will be looking to draw on some inspiration from wins at both Preston and Wolves last month.
Hosts Brentford meanwhile go into the game having won just once in their last five outings.
Three of those matches have been away from Griffin Park however, with the Bees unbeaten at home so far this term; winning four and drawing twice.
That form leaves Dean Smith’s side in eighth place and with the West London-based side only conceding twice in front of their own faithful so far, it has the potential to be a tough afternoon for the Reds.
Previous Meetings
Barnsley will be looking for their first win against Brentford in nearly 14 years this weekend.
In April 2003, a 90th minute winner from Isaiah Rankin completed a league double for the Reds over the Bees but that victory – which was the Club’s 11th in this fixture – remains their most recent triumph.
That is because in the six clashes between the sides since then, there have been three Brentford wins and three draws.
The last time the two Clubs crossed paths was in March 2006 when a Lloyd Owusu brace helped the West London-based outfit on their way to a 3-1 home win, which was also a 23rd success in this fixture for the Bees.
Despite that loss, the Reds did manage to avoid defeat in the last game to be played between the sides at Oakwell, with Owusu again on target for Brentford; cancelling out Michael Turner’s own goal in a 1-1 draw.
Team News
Defensive duo Marc Roberts and James Bree should both be fit for the trip to Brentford after suffering cramp in midweek.
Roberts is likely to be partnered in the centre of the Barnsley defence by Adam Jackson following his impressive debut against Newcastle.
Elsewhere, Adam Armstrong is available again after being ineligible against his parent Club on Tuesday night but the game comes too soon for injured pair Aidy White (gluteal) and Saidy Janko (thigh), while Josh Scowen sits out the second of his three-match ban.
For the Bees, boss Dean Smith will have to decide whether to recall captain Harlee Dean to his starting XI following suspension.
Tuesday night was the first time Dean has not been involved this season but after strong performances in the Brentford defence by Andreas Bjelland and John Egan, Smith has a decision to make.
Two players who are unlikely to feature for Saturday’s hosts however, are injured duo Lasse Vibe and Alan McCormack, who are carrying ankle and groin injuries respectively.
Man in the Middle
Barnsley will be hoping to improve their record in the company of referee James Linington on Saturday. The official has overseen four Barnsley games in the past, with the Reds winning once and losing the other three.
The third of those defeats came back in November 2014 when the Tykes suffered a 2-1 loss at home to Scunthorpe in League One.
Brentford meanwhile have also experienced little luck with Linington in charge; losing five of their six meetings, with just one win.
Like the Reds, Brentford’s most recent meeting with the Newport-based referee came in 2014 but that was when they managed their only success in his company; beating Bristol City 3-1.
So far this season, Linington has overseen 11 games, handing out 56 yellow cards and one red.
Their Star Man
Following two injury plagued seasons, Bees striker Scott Hogan is looking to make up for lost time this season.
The 24-year-old joined the Bees on a three-year deal from Rochdale in July 2014 after netting 19 goals in 40 appearances for Dale in what was his first ever campaign in the Football League.
He made his Brentford debut in a 1-0 League Cup defeat against Fulham but in just his second outing for the Bees, the forward suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury in his knee.
Things got worse in April 2015 when he re-injured the same knee in training as he looked to build up his fitness ahead of a return which meant his first season at the Club was a right off.
Hogan eventually returned to first-team action in March 2016 and despite failing to score in his first three games back in the side, he ended the campaign in some style; netting seven goals in four games including braces against Cardiff, Fulham and Huddersfield.
With that in his locker, big things were expected of the pacey front man this season and he has lived up to the billing; hitting eight goals 14 appearances so far.
That has included his first hat-trick for the Club which came in a 5-0 home win against Preston North End last month and after bagging in the Bees’ 3-1 defeat at Newcastle last weekend; he now has seven in his last eight games.
With Andre Gray leaving the Club last year for pastures new, the Brentford faithful appear to have finally found their new goal scoring hero and they will be desperate to see him maintain both his fitness and his form over the coming weeks and months.
Mutual Man
In August 2015 Barnsley completed the loan signing of exciting winger Kadeem Harris from Cardiff City.
Harris – who joined the Welsh Club in 2012 from Wycombe Wanderers at the age of 18 – made his Tykes debut in a goalless draw against Yorkshire rivals Bradford City.
The attacker – who is now 23 – produced some scintillating performances while at Oakwell, with the most impressive of them all coming when he tormented Doncaster full-back James Horsfield with his mix of trickery and electrifying pace, although the Reds did lose that game 2-1.
Despite that and only winning four of his 13 matches with the Club, the London-born wide man did start nine of them, giving him some valuable experience ahead of this season where he has featured regularly for the Bluebirds.
It was not just at Barnsley that Harris developed his game however, with the Englishman joining Brentford on loan in October 2013.
After scoring on his debut for the Bees in a 3-1 home win against Colchester, the winger went onto make 11 appearances in total which included another goal, this time against non-league outfit Staines in the FA Cup.
Both of those loan spells have certainly aided the former Wycombe man’s development but with a new boss in Neil Warnock and now at the age of 23, Harris will desperately be looking to add more goals and assists to his game.
Form Guide
Brentford’s last five at home: (WDWWD)
Brentford 1-0 Nottingham Forest
Brentford 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Brentford 5-0 Preston North End
Brentford 4-1 Reading
Brentford 0-0 Wigan Athletic
Barnsley’s last five away from home: (LWWLL)
Huddersfield Town 2-1 Barnsley
Preston North End 1-2 Barnsley
Wolves 0-4 Barnsley
Brighton 2-0 Barnsley
Leeds United 2-1 Barnsley
Going to the match?
Brentford play at Griffin Park, its address is as follows: Griffin Park, Braemar Road, Brentford, TW8 0NT.
How to get there
From outside The M25
Exit M25 at junction 15 (s/p M4, Heathrow Terminals 1,2 & 3, London (W)) onto the M4 eastbound. After 8.3 miles exit M4 at junction 2 (s/p A4, N and S Circular A406 (A205), Chiswick A315), onto slip road down onto the A4, which runs underneath, and parallel to, the M4. At Chiswick Roundabout after 0.7 miles, there's a choice of directions:
a) To the main parking area: go right round the roundabout and head back up the A4 (s/p The West, Heathrow A4, M4). Keep in the right-hand lane (s/p Staines, Hounslow A4) and go straight on for 1.5 miles, to junction/lights. Here, turn left (s/p Brentford A3002) into Boston Manor Road. Somerset Road, which leads to one of the best parking areas, is on the RHS after 1.0 miles.
b) To the ground:
Take 4th exit (s/p S. Circular A205, A316, M3 Richmond) onto Chiswick High Road/Kew Bridge Road. Straight on for 0.3 miles to junction/lights (Kew Bridge Junction). Here, keep in lane for the A315 and go straight on (s/p Hounslow, Brentford A315), towards `The Plough'. At lights after 0.5 miles turn right (by McDonalds) into Ealing Road, which runs past Griffin Park. The ground is on Braemar Road, the second turning on your left.
From South London:
Over Kew Bridge to the Kew Bridge Junction. Here turn left (s/p Hounslow, Brentford A315) into Kew Bridge Road. At lights after 0.5 miles turn right (by McDonalds) into Ealing Road.
Please note: Roads in the vicinity of Griffin Park are now subject to a Controlled Parking Zone on matchdays. Motorcycles are exempt. Please check before you park on matchdays.
By Train:
Brentford: South West Trains run from Waterloo and Vauxhall to Reading via Brentford. By foot: Head up to the main road and turn left. Take first main left turn into Windmill Road, and first right (s/p Methodist Church) into Clifden Road. The Stadium is then directly ahead of you.
Kew Bridge: This station is on the same line as Brentford station, but is closer to `The Plough', `The Waggon and Horses', and the Strand-on-the-Green. It's 0.4 miles to the ground: take steps up from platforms to main exit and turn right. Keep going for 0.3 miles, then turn right by McDonalds into Ealing Road.
Ticket Information:
Barnsley fans will be able to pay on the day at Brentford.
However, there will be a PRICE INCREASE of £5 on the day.
All supporters are advised to purchase in person from the Reds Box Office before 4pm today. Online sales for this fixture have now stopped.
Prices from the Reds Box Office are as follows:
Adult Seated £28.00
Adult Standing £23.00
Senior Over 65 Seated £22.00
Senior Over 65 Standing £17.00
Young Adult (18-24) Seated £20.00
Young Adult (18-24) Standing £15.00
Juvenile Under 18 both Seated and Standing £6.00
The Official Club Coaches depart at 9.30am at a price of £27.
We would like to thank all of our travelling supporters for their fantastic, continued support away from home and we look forward to seeing another fantastic away following at Griffin Park.
Come On You Reds!
