BARNSLEY FOOTBALL CLUB

The Reds take on a much improved Colchester side on Friday evening, but will be looking to build on their own recent revival.

Danny Wilson’s side have moved up to 12th place in League One and are currently unbeaten in three games in all competitions following Saturday’s thrashing of Burton Albion in the FA Cup.

Back-to-back victories against Sheffield United and Burton have rebuilt confidence around Oakwell and the Reds will also be searching for their third clean sheet in a row when they welcome Tony Humes and his Colchester outfit to South Yorkshire.

The U’s will be a tough nut to crack however, scoring in each of their last nine outings and having lost just one of their last five matches in League One.

Five places separate the two sides but Humes’ side will be in buoyant mood at Oakwell after a good run of form on the road of late, losing just once in seven games away from the Weston Homes Community Stadium in all competitions including a 6-3 triumph at Gosport Borough in the FA Cup last Saturday.

 

Recent victories against Fleetwood and Chesterfield have moved the U’s to within two points of Barnsley but defeat in their last league game at home to Port Vale means the Essex-based Club remain uncomfortably close to the relegation zone.

Friday night’s clash will be the first time the Reds have faced the U’s in just under seven years.

The last meeting was a cagey one, as Jon Macken’s goal on the stroke of half-time earned Barnsley a narrow 12th win against the Essex outfit.

In the reverse fixture it was an entirely different story, with four goals, two penalties and two red cards, as the formerly known Layer Road witnessed an action-packed affair.

Following Dean Gerken’s dismissal for the home side, Brian Howard dispatched the resulting spot-kick, but goals either side of half-time from Teddy Sheringham and Matthew Connolly put Colchester in control.

Barnsley’s Paul Reid was given his marching orders just minutes later to even up the numbers, but with time running out the Reds were awarded another penalty and Howard duly dispatched to claim an 11th draw in the fixture.

At Oakwell meetings between the two sides have also been hard to predict over the years, with a win-a-piece in the last two clashes in South Yorkshire.

The Reds will be without three of their younger stars for the visit of Colchester with on-loan Fulham duo Ryan Williams and Marcello Trotta as well as midfielder Paul Digby all away on international duty.

Academy product Digby is away with the England U20 squad which will face Portugal on Tuesday, while Williams will feature for the Australia U23 side and Trotta for the Italian U21’s outfit in their clash against Denmark.

Leroy Lita featured for 15 minutes for the first time in just under a month against Burton last weekend and will be hoping for more action against Colchester in Trotta’s absence.

The U’s are still without injured trio Drey Wright, David Wright and Tosin Olufemi, but could hand a debut to new loan signing Jamie Harney who joined from West Ham on Wednesday after Elliott Hewitt’s loan spell from Ipswich came to an end.

The Reds will welcome former loanee David Fox back to Oakwell, with the midfielder joining the U’s in October following his release by Norwich City.

Fox joined Barnsley in September 2007 and featured seven times before the Manchester United academy graduate contracted mumps and returned to his parent club.

Richard Clark will take charge of his first Barnsley game this season on Friday night, with the Reds hoping for a much happier evening in the official’s company. In September last year, the Northumberland referee was the man in the middle as the Tykes suffered a humiliating 5-1 loss against Watford at Oakwell. 

The U’s have better memories of referee Clark, winning once, losing once and drawing once under his guidance, with the last of those coming in August 2013 when they picked up a point at Sheffield United. So far this season, the referee has officiated 10 games, dishing out 35 cautions and three red cards across the Football League.

Former West Ham forward Freddie Sears has once again led the line for Colchester this season, topping the U’s scoring charts with 11 goals in all competitions. Five of those strikes have come in the ex-Scunthorpe United strikers last five games, with two arriving in last weekend’s handsome victory at Gosport. 

The Barnsley back-line will have to be on their toes for the entirety of Friday evening’s clash, with the energetic frontman building a reputation for late goals, having notched an 87th minute equaliser against Gillingham in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, as well as hitting the U’s winner against Chesterfield last month just three minutes from time. 

While at West Ham, Sears enjoyed loan spells at a number of Clubs including Crystal Palace, Coventry, Scunthorpe and Colchester before calling time on his Hammers career in June 2012. Since arriving at the Weston Homes Community Stadium the 24-year-old has bagged 31 times, with his brace last weekend adding the former England U21 international to the Club’s hall of fame having taken under 20 games to reach double figures.

Powerful striker Kayode Odejayi is a name Barnsley fans will never forget. The Nigerian-born forward signed for the Reds in May 2007 after leaving Cheltenham for a fee in the region of £200,000.

The current Tranmere Rovers man failed to reach the goal scoring levels that he hit at Cheltenham but it was one solo effort which acclaimed him to the Reds faithful, scoring the winner as Barnsley beat Chelsea 1-0 at Oakwell to reach the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.

That famous goal ended a spell of 28 matches without notching for Odejayi, in a season in which the Bristol City youth product found the back of the net just four times. Despite that, the former Barnsley man did earn his first and only cap for Nigeria, featuring as a second-half substitute in a 1-1 draw against Austria.

In his second season with the Club Odejayi scored just the once and in February 2009 was loaned out to Scunthorpe before returning to Oakwell for the remaining few games of the campaign. 

At the beginning of the 2009-10 season, seven goalless appearances resulted in a temporary switch to Colchester but after a much-improved spell in Essex, that move was made permanent in January 2010, bringing to an end his Barnsley adventure after five goals in 82 appearances for the Tykes.

The former Nigerian international ended his first season with the U’s with 10 goals to his name and after adding nine more to his Colchester tally over the next two campaigns, Odejayi received both the Club’s player of the year and supporter’s player of the year awards during his time in Essex.

Despite that recognition, the commanding figure decided to move on from the U’s after three seasons and in May 2012 returned to South Yorkshire to join Rotherham United.

You can save 25% online by purchasing your tickets for the Colchester game via our eticketing website.

Adult: £25     

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Young Adult (17-21): £18     

Juvenile (16 and under)*: £10     

Juvenile (Under 12)**: £5     

Adult: £24     

Over 65: £17     

Young Adult (17-21): £17     

Juvenile (16 and under)*: £10     

Juvenile (Under 12)**: £5     

Adult: £23     

Over 65: £16     

Young Adult (17-21): £16     

Juvenile (16 and under)*: £10     

Juvenile (Under 12)**: £5     

Adult: £20     

Over 65: £15     

Young Adult (17-21): £15     

Juvenile (16 and under)*: £10     

Juvenile (Under 12)**: £5     

*Advance purchase price only. Not available on the turnstiles.     

**Advance purchase only. Not available on the turnstiles. Price only applies when purchased with and adult or Over 65s ticket.