Goals from Lewin Nyatanga and a Paul Rachubka own goal against the Railwaymen earned a first win in four games for Barnsley but with seven defeats in their last seven league games away from Oakwell, caretaker bosses Mark Burton and Paul Heckingbottom will be keen for a repeat performance at Glanford Park.
Saturday’s win moved the Reds five points clear of the relegation zone and despite losing three on the bounce prior to that; three wins in the Club’s last six games gives confidence that a late play-off push is possible.
Tuesday night’s hosts Scunthorpe meanwhile suffered a first defeat in four outings on Saturday when they went down to a 2-0 defeat at promotion-chasing Preston North End.
That result leaves the Iron just two points and two places ahead of the Reds but despite losing their nine-match unbeaten away run against the Lilywhites, Mark Robins’ side have won eight of their last 15 outings including their last two at home.
Back-to-back Glanford Park successes against Swindon and Chesterfield prior to that Preston loss edged the Iron away from any relegation trouble but it also came at a welcome time with the Club suffering in front of their home faithful this season with just four wins in their last 11 matches there.
Tuesday night’s clash will be the first time the two sides have met at Glanford Park since September 2010 with the three meetings since that goalless draw in North Lincolnshire coming at Oakwell.
The reverse fixture in that 2010-11 season ended in a 2-1 Barnsley win after a brace from Marlon Harewood, while the League Cup meeting between the sides in August 2013 ended in a penalty shoot-out win for the Reds following a 0-0 draw.
When the two Clubs crossed paths in the league for the first time in over three years back in November loanee Marcello Trotta put Barnsley ahead, but a double from striker Paddy Madden earned the Iron a 14th win in this fixture.
Team News
Barnsley will be without injured duo Sam Winnall and Peter Ramage once again when they travel to Scunthorpe on Tuesday night.
The pair have struggled with hamstring and thigh problems of late and despite returning to training, the game at Glanford Park comes too early for them both.
‘Keeper Ross Turnbull will also be missing for the second game running with a back problem, so young shot-stopper Adam Davies will make his 12th start of the campaign, while new loan signing John O’Sullivan will be looking to make his full debut for the Club following a 45-minute cameo against Crewe on Saturday.
For Scunthorpe midfielder’s Gary McSheffrey and Isaiah Osbourne will be pushing for recalls following the Club’s defeat at Preston, with the former returning from suspension at Deepdale after picking up 10 yellow cards.
One man who will not be involved at Glanford Park however is on-loan Chelsea defender Alex Davey – who made his Iron debut against Barnsley in November – but is ruled out on Tuesday night due to a calf problem.
Man in the Middle
Essex-based official Michael Bull will take charge of his first Barnsley game on Tuesday night. The referee has never been involved in a Reds game before but has previous history with Scunthorpe; having taken charge of their game at Torquay last season. In a closely contested game, Bull’s decision to award the Iron a 31st minute penalty proved vital; with Sam Winnall dispatching the spot-kick to earn his side a 1-0 win.
Despite never meeting with Barnsley, Bull – who will be assisted by linesmen Graeme Fyvie and Ryan Johnson, as well as fourth official Alan Clayton at Glanford Park – has taken charge of 22 games this season; handing out 58 yellow cards and six reds. Three of those dismissals have come in Bull’s last six games, with two arriving in one game. On Boxing Day, the official sent both Bury’s Hayden White and Northampton’s Ivan Toney for early baths following an altercation between the pair.
More recently Bull dismissed Southend’s Gary Deegan but the Shrimpers still went on to record a 3-2 success at Oxford, while a game later and the referee awarded Port Vale a last-gasp penalty and brandished red to Bradford ‘keeper Jordan Pickford for bringing down Chris Birchall in the box which allowed former Scunthorpe midfielder Michael O’Connor to convert from the spot and earn a 2-2 draw for the Valiants.
Their Star Man
One of the most sought-after forwards in the Football League during the summer of 2013, Scunthorpe United capitalised on a lack of form last January to conclude the signing of Irishman Paddy Madden. In the 2012-13 campaign the attacker hit 24 goals in 42 appearances to help Yeovil clinch promotion to the Championship via the play-offs. Despite that the 24-year-old failed to reach those highs again last season and in November 2013 he was transfer-listed by the Glovers. Two months later however and Madden was a Scunthorpe player; joining the Iron for an undisclosed fee.
The Republic of Ireland international had to wait until his seventh outing to bag his first Scunthorpe goal and although he ended the campaign with only five strikes to his name, the forward was beginning to show glimpses of the talent which saw him linked with a move to the Premier League a year earlier.
Hints of that ability may have been sneaking through last season but this year the former Carlisle man has hit top form once again; bagging 15 goals in 39 appearances. The Dublin-born forward flew out of the traps with a goal on his first appearance of the season against Swindon and despite scoring just five more times in his next 20 outings – including a late equaliser against former Club Yeovil - Madden struck four times in three games at the end of November including a brace at Oakwell as the Iron picked up a 2-1 win. The pacey frontman – who also has five assists to his name this season - has added to his Scunthorpe tally in important wins against both Rochdale and Walsall in recent months but despite notching just twice in his last nine appearances, the Reds will have to be on their toes with the ex-Bohemians striker hitting those two goals in his last three games.
Mutual Man
Runcorn-born defender James McNulty arrived at Oakwell in June 2011 after agreeing a two-year deal with the Reds following a difficult spell at Brighton. The former Liverpool and Everton trainee suffered an ankle injury during the 2010-11 campaign while on loan at Tuesday night’s hosts Scunthorpe but showed no ill effects as he quickly stamped down a regular starting spot in the Barnsley defence.
Following his debut in a disappointing 2-0 home defeat against Morecambe in the League Cup, McNulty took 12 games to score his first goal for the Club; netting in a 5-3 loss at Cardiff. The ex-Scotland youth international had to wait a bit longer for his first Oakwell goal however but it ended in a similarly poor fashion as the Reds endured a 3-1 defeat against Millwall. The versatile defender – who turned 30 in February – did help his new Club keep seven clean sheets in his first season though – including one against former employers Brighton – and after 46 appearances he was named as the Club’s Players’ Player of the Year.
With things looking good for the former Macclesfield and Stockport man, boss Keith Hill named McNulty as the Club’s new captain going into the 2012-13 campaign. The Barnsley faithful would not get to see the full extent of his leadership skills however, with McNulty making just 14 appearances during his second season with the Club following several niggling injuries. A starting berth in the Reds’ 2-0 success over arch rivals Leeds at Oakwell was the defender’s brightest moment but despite not featuring heavily, McNulty was handed a new one-year contract in June 2013. Following that renewal, he would make only one more appearance in a Barnsley shirt before joining Tranmere Rovers on loan in October 2013.
McNulty made 14 appearances for the Wirral-based Club but after receiving a red card in his final outing for the Club against Gillingham he returned to Oakwell. With his stay in South Yorkshire appearing to be over, the full-back was released by mutual consent in January last year and was quickly snapped up by former Reds boss David Flitcroft at Bury where he remains a regular in the Shakers back four.
Prior to his spell at Oakwell, McNulty spent time on loan at Glanford Park with Scunthorpe. In February 2009 he joined Brighton from Stockport but after a series of bad injuries and a removed kidney he joined the Iron in March 2010 in order to regain some match fitness. After making three appearances for the North Lincolnshire outfit, McNulty returned to parent Club Brighton before a similar loan spell to the Iron was agreed at the beginning of the 2010-11 season. The ball-playing defender made a good start to his second stint at the Club with back-to-back wins against Reading and Oldham, but things soon turn sour in football and five defeats including one in his final start for the Club against Coventry made it an unhappy ending to his time at Glanford Park. A few days later however and things would get worse for the 30-year-old after it became apparent that McNulty had suffered a serious knee injury which would require surgery and would rule him out of action until he joined the Reds in June 2011.
Form Guide
Scunthorpe United’s last five at home: (LDLWW)
Scunthorpe 0-2 Bristol City
Scunthorpe 1-1 MK Dons
Scunthorpe 0-1 Oldham
Scunthorpe 3-1 Swindon
Scunthorpe 2-0 Chesterfield
Barnsley’s last five away: (LLLLL)
Preston 1-0 Barnsley
Doncaster 1-0 Barnsley
MK Dons 2-0 Barnsley
Swindon 2-0 Barnsley
Crawley Town 5-1 Barnsley
Going to the match?
Scunthorpe United plays at Glanford Park, its address is as follows:
Glanford Park
Jack Brownsword Way
Scunthorpe
DN15 8TD
How to get there
By Road:
From all routes, M180: The ground has got be one of the easiest to find in the Football League. It is situated on the outskirts of Scunthorpe, very close to the motorway. Leave the M180 at Junction 3 and take the M181 for Scunthorpe. At the end of this motorway, you will see the ground on your right. Turn right at the first roundabout onto the A18 and right again into the large car park at the ground.
Car Parking:
Car parking at the ground is available for 600 cars, priced at very reasonable £3. Limited street parking available.
By Train:
The station is over two miles away from the stadium. Therefore a taxi is probably the easiest way to get to the ground.
