Barnsley vs Bournemouth • Saturday 22nd March 2014 • KO 3pm
After Saturday’s 3-0 loss away to Watford, the Reds find themselves back at the foot of the Championship table.
Now with all three teams in the relegation zone within three points of each other, the race to safety remains as tense as ever.
As Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth will be the visitors to Oakwell this weekend, three points for Danny Wilson’s side will go a long way towards the push to escape the drop.
Barnsley had been unlucky in many respects against Watford, although Danny Wilson is refusing to believe everything that is being written about his side.
He said: “There have been a lot of very candid words spoken. The season is far from over but if they are going to start believing what people are writing about us it will be.
"We've got to have a little cocoon around us and make sure we don't take it to heart and really believe we can stay up."
View the Press Conference on Barnsley Player
Record
This will be the 42nd time that this fixture has been played in the Football League.
Barnsley wins over Bournemouth- 16
Bournemouth wins over Barnsley- 12
Draws- 13
Last time they met
Memory Lane
Earlier this season when these two sides met at Dean Court in September, Barnsley were unlucky not to leave with all three points.
The Reds looked eager to win and early on struck the post twice as right from the get go, it was starting to look like it wasn’t going to be a good day.
Instead, the cruel game that football is saw Barnsley concede with twelve minutes to go and subsequently leave with nothing.
The last time that Barnsley beat Bournemouth was back in the 04/05 season. That game ended 3-1 to the Reds as goals from Michael Chopra and Barry Conlon sealed the points.
A repeat of any score line similar to that one on Saturday would surely please Danny Wilson and the Barnsley fans as Bournemouth themselves are still only nine points from the play-offs.
Players to watch
Reuben Noble-Lazarus has become a well-known name in the Football League, despite the fact that he is still only 20 years old.
A record breaker himself, Noble-Lazarus became the youngest player ever to play in the Football League when he made his debut for Barnsley in 2008, aged just 15.
Being with Barnsley since his early teens, Noble-Lazarus has had some experience as a first team player although as of yet he has only netted twice for the first team.
After spending some time away on loan at Scunthorpe over recent months, Noble-Lazarus has now made his return to the squad and last weekend he featured as a substitute.
Surely keen to remind everyone of why he became the league’s youngest ever player, we can expect promising things from the youngster as this is a time when all the players need to be at their best.
After signing for Bournemouth for £300,000 from Rotherham, good things were expected from Lewis Grabban.
This season, most would agree that price has been justified as Grabban is currently the Cherries’ top goal scorer with 15.
Scoring in each of their last two wins, Grabban has become the main threat from the Bournemouth attack and his performances this season have gone a long way to getting Bournemouth up to 12th in the table.
Considering the Cherries were only promoted from League One last year, there is a lot to be said for Eddie Howe and the players in his side as they have become a strong Championship outfit.
Team News
This week, Danny Wilson has confirmed that Bobby Hassell and Martin Cranie will both definitely miss out on Saturday.
As for the other players who have been nursing injuries over the past few weeks, Peter Ramage and Ryan McLaughlin are both said to have made progress. This may see one or both of the players make their return against Bournemouth.
As far as new injury concerns go, there look to be none as Wilson said: “We’re as we were last week.”
Yann Kermorgant is almost back to full fitness for the Cherries and is expected to push for a start whilst winger Matt Ritchie may make his comeback after suffering from an illness.
League Form
Barnsley
L-(A) Watford 3-0
L- (H) Leicester 3-0
W- (H) Forest 1-0
L- (A) Huddersfield 5-0
W- (H) Millwall 1-0
Last time out for Barnsley
Bournemouth
L- (A) Charlton 1-0
D- (H) Middlesbrough 0-0
W- (A) Blackburn 1-0
W- (A) Blackpool 1-0
W- (H) Doncaster 5-0
Last time out for Bournemouth
Betting
Barnsley win: 23/10
Bournemouth win: 6/5
Draw: 23/10
1st goal scorer:
Dale Jennings: 8/1
Yann Kermorgant: 6/1
For more odds visit Sky Bet
Officials
Referee- Scott Mathieson
Assistant Referees- Ian Dudley & Tom Nield
Fourth Official- Alan Clayton
