BARNSLEY FOOTBALL CLUB

Last weekend was one to forget for Danny Wilson and his Barnsley side, the trip to Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield on Saturday ended in a 5-0 defeat for the Reds. 

This latest result sees Barnsley still bottom with 26 points on the board, one positive is that possible safety is only two points away, in the form of Millwall in 21st.

This weekend’s game offers Barnsley the chance to get the relegation battle back on track as Forest haven’t been in their best form of late.

Since losing to Sheffield Utd in the FA Cup, Billy Davies’ team have struggled to recover. In two tough fixtures since that game his team have conceded seven goals as the extent of the injury list is starting to become apparent for Forest.

Despite this poor form lately, the play-offs still look like a strong possibility. Currently in 5th, Forest’s position in the league has been strong all season and Billy Davies will be encouraging his players not to give up now.

This will be the 73rd time that this fixture has been played in the Football League.

Barnsley wins over Forest- 25

Forest wins over Barnsley- 27

Draws- 21

Earlier this season when the two sides met at the City Ground in September, it was Forest who came out on top. The home side sealed the win courtesy of a late winner from Darius Henderson as Barnsley went home 3-2 losers.

The last time that Barnsley took all three points away from Forest was back in 2010 when at the time, they became only the second side to beat Forest up to that point in the campaign. Goals from Nathan Doyle, Andy Gray and Jacob Butterfield that day earned Barnsley the win since then, the Reds have always played out close encounters with the Nottinghamshire club.

Emmanuel Frimpong was the pick of Barnsley’s singings this winter, his move from Arsenal had surprised many but it is looking like he is getting to grips with life permanently away from Arsenal.

As many had expected, Frimpong made an instant impact on his debut for the club against rivals Sheffield Wednesday although not for the desired reasons. He was red carded only 31 minutes in and as a result missed out on the following game.

Since his return, Frimpong has fitted back into the side and was an important player in the 1-0 victory over Millwall.

Forest’s man of the moment is Jamie Paterson and in him, it’s looking like the club may have unearthed a gem.

Since joining from Walsall in 2013, Paterson has only recently started to make his mark but a flurry of goals in recent games has seen him climb to the top of the club’s goal scoring list.

Forest have relied on Paterson’s form heavily over recent weeks and the remainder of the season will be greatly affected by how his performances pan out.

Still only 22 and with a lot left to learn, many believe that Paterson has the potential to develop into something special at Forest.

Jim O’Brien has recovered from illness so is in contention to be included whilst Bobby Hassell is still injured. Marcus Pedersen is a doubt after his withdrawal from Norway’s U23 side in midweek, although the majority of the injury concerns are with the visitors.

Forest have several key players out injured for Saturday’s game. Andy Reid and Kelvin Wilson are still not fit and Jack Hobbs has recently been ruled out for the rest of the campaign. 

Forest’s Chris Cohen has also been out for the majority of season and is still some time away from a first team return. 

American international Eric Lichaj is to undergo assessment ahead of this weekend after picking up a knock in Forest’s loss against Wigan last week. One positive for Forest is that French midfielder Guy Moussi could return.

L- (A) Huddersfield 5-0

W- (H) Millwall 1-0

L- (A) Wigan 2-0

D- (A) Doncaster 2-2

D- (H) Ipswich 2-2

L- (H) Wigan 4-1

L- (A) Burnley 3-1

D- (H) Leicester 2-2

W- (A) Huddersfield 3-0

D- (A) Blackpool 1-1

Barnsley win: 9/4

Forest win: 23/20

Draw: 12/5

First goal scorer

Brek Shea: 10/1  

Matt Derbyshire: 7/1

Referee- Keith Stroud 

Assistant Referees- Darren Handley & Robert Merchant

Fourth Official- Phillip Gibbs