Chesterfield v Barnsley - Saturday 22nd November, 2014, 3pm KO
Danny Wilson takes the Reds down the M1 to face Chesterfield on Saturday hoping to secure their fourth win on the bounce.
Victory at the Proact Stadium would replicate Barnsley’s best run of form in nearly three years, following wins against Sheffield United, Burton and Colchester in recent weeks.
That vast improvement has seen Wilson’s side climb to 11th place in League One and with just five points separating themselves and the play-off places, promotion hopes have returned at Oakwell.
To continue that revival the Reds will have to pick up back-to-back victories on the road for the first time this season, with their last double success away from home coming back in March at Reading and then Yeovil.
Paul Cook’s Chesterfield will certainly be no pushovers however, with the Spireites sitting just one point and three places behind the Tykes.
The Derbyshire-based Club are on a mini unbeaten run of their own; without a defeat in their last three games, including a trio of clean sheets following stalemates in their last two league outings.
Despite that, last season’s League Two champions are without a win in their last seven league games, with their last triumph coming back in early October when they defeated Sheffield United 3-2 at the Proact Stadium.
A 6-0 thrashing of non-league Braintree in the FA Cup two weeks ago has restored some winning confidence to the Spireites’ side though, and Cook’s men will be desperate to pick up their first home win in three on Saturday afternoon.
Previous Meetings
This weekend’s clash will be the 82nd meeting between the two sides, the last of which came over eight years ago.
On that occasion it ended all square as Derek Niven’s strike 14 minutes from time cancelled out Brian Howard’s first-half opener at Oakwell.
The past two meetings in Chesterfield have also ended level, with the reverse fixture in that 2005-06 campaign ending goalless and the clash at the Proact Stadium in the 2004-05 season finishing 2-2, with Michael Boulding grabbing a brace for the Reds.
With draws aplenty in this fixture, you have to go back over a decade for the last time three points were secured and that came at Oakwell as Anthony Kay’s goal three minutes from time edged a narrow contest in Barnsley’s favour against 10-man Chesterfield.
Team News
Manager Wilson should be able to call upon his young trio of international stars at the Proact Stadium following their exertions around the globe this week.
Marcello Trotta and Paul Digby are available after featuring for the Italy U21s and England U20s respectively, but Australian winger Ryan Williams is less likely to return following an arduous trip to China with the Australia U23 side.
The Spireites have forward Armand Gnanduillet available for selection once again, after the Frenchman saw his loan spell at Tranmere cut short.
The 22-year-old scored twice in four appearances for Rovers and will be hoping to add to that in the next few weeks with the Spireites failing to score in their last four league outings.
One man who has not been handed an opportunity to change that however is Barnsley-born striker Drew Talbot who began his career with Sheffield Wednesday, before joining Luton Town ahead of his switch to Chesterfield in 2009.
Man in the Middle
Premier League referee Andre Marriner will take charge of just his ninth game of the season at the Proact Stadium, with the West Midland’s based official failing to provide happy memories for the Barnsley faithful. In February this year the experienced referee dismissed both Emmanuel Frimpong and Jacob Mellis as the Reds suffered derby defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, who also saw Jermaine Johnson dismissed. His previous two encounters with the Tykes fared slightly better however; overseeing Barnsley’s 2-2 draw at Huddersfield in May 2013 and their 2-0 home win against Crystal Palace six years earlier. Marriner – whose last three games have been in the Premier League including Southampton’s 8-0 battering of Sunderland – has shown 32 yellow cards this season and one red which was handed to Bournemouth’s Yann Kermorgant in early October.
Their Star Man
With 14 League goals to his name pacey forward Eoin Doyle is the top goal scorer in English football’s top four divisions. The former Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers man has netted 17 times in all competitions, in what has been a remarkable start to the season for the 26-year-old. Signed from Hibernian in May 2013 the striker found the back of the net on 13 occasions in his maiden Chesterfield campaign as the Spireites clinched promotion, but so far this term the Irishman has taken his form to a different level, including four in the Club’s first three games. In mid-September Doyle hit back-to-back hat-tricks as Cook’s side won handsomely against Scunthorpe before fighting back from three goals down to secure a dramatic 3-3 draw at Preston. Those six goals came during a prolific period in which Doyle scored 11 goals in just seven games, but despite that, there is some good news for Barnsley supporters, with the Dublin-born marksman failing to notch in the Club’s last six league games.
Mutual Man
In January this year David Perkins left Oakwell and agreed an 18-month deal with Blackpool. The midfielder made 100 appearances in a Reds shirt and became a firm fans favourite following his switch to Oakwell from Colchester in June 2011, where he teamed up with manager Keith Hill whom he had played under while at Rochdale.
After making his Barnsley debut in a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest, the Morecambe youth product quickly became a regular in South Yorkshire and made 35 appearances in his first campaign with the Club including one goal which came in a 1-1 draw at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road. Perkins was again heavily involved in the 2012-13 season and at the end of the campaign was named as the Reds’ player of the year. The former England C international started 24 of the Tykes’ opening 25 games last term but in January 2014 he completed a free transfer to Blackpool, leaving Barnsley at the bottom of the Championship.
After making nearly 200 appearances for boyhood club Morecambe, the creative midfielder spent a season with Rochdale before joining Colchester in July 2008 for an undisclosed fee. A year later and Perkins had dropped down the pecking order under boss Aidy Boothroyd which resulted in a loan move to Chesterfield. The 32-year-old made his Spireites bow in a 1-0 win against Accrington Stanley, going onto feature 14 times for the Derbyshire side and scoring one goal in the process. That strike was one to remember for the ex-Barnsley man though, as he netted the winner against former Club Rochdale in a 3-2 thriller at Spotland.
Going to the Match?
Chesterfield play at the Proact Stadium, its full address is as follows:
How to get there
By Road:
From The North West & East:
From the M1 motorway, leave the motorway at junction 30 at Balborough signposted Chesterfield. At the roundabout take the first exit and in around a quarter of a mile there’s another roundabout. Take the 4th exit signpost Staveley/ Chesterfield A619 and drive past McDonalds on your left and cross over the motorway. Follow the A619 through Mastin Moor and towards Staveley.
In Staveley there's the Speedwell Arms on your right if you fancy a pint (Townes Brewery Brew Pub). At the roundabout take the first exit there's one mini roundabout most people drive straight over it follow the A619 through Staveley towards Brimington.
In Brimington follow the A619 round the large island keep in the left-hand lane and follow signs to Chesterfield. At the bottom of Brimington Hill drive straight towards Sainsburys.
At the Sainsbury's roundabout keep in the left-hand lane and follow the A619 towards Tesco's. At the Tesco's roundabout take the 3rd exit straight over past the new Hotel Casa and towards Tesco's and Gordon Lamb garage on the left. Donkey Derby on the right. At the next roundabout take the 3rd exit and drive along the B6057 Sheffield Road. You should be able to see the ground on your left just past Tesco's entrance.
From Sheffield:
Follow the A61 towards Chesterfield at the large roundabout take the right hand lane and take the 4th exit the B6057 follow the road continue past the Derby Tup for around 0.5 of a mile. The Proact Stadium is on your left.
From The South & East:
From the M1. Leave the motorway at Junction 29, at the roundabout take the second exit A617 which is dual carriageway for 7 miles or so. At the end of the A617 get in the right hand lane and at the roundabout take the 4th exit the A61 north dual carriageway. At the next roundabout take the first exit at the Tesco's roundabout. Gordon Lamb garage on the left. Donkey Derby on the right. At the next roundabout take the 3rd exit and drive along the B6057 Sheffield Road. You should be able to see the ground on your left just past Tesco's entrance.
From the A61:
Follow the A61 Derby Road towards the town centre. Pass the cinema complex and at the roundabout take the third exit to A61 dual carriageway. At the next roundabout take the first exit at the Tesco's roundabout. Gordon Lamb garage on the left. Donkey Derby on the right. At the next roundabout take the 3rd exit and drive along the B6057 Sheffield Road. You should be able to see the ground on your left just past Tesco's entrance.
From The South West:
Follow the A619 into Chesterfield on Chatsworth Road continue on the A619.
At the Morrison's roundabout take the second exit straight over. (You could take the first exit and visit the Brampton Brewery Tap Rose & Crown). The road splits so keep left past the Prince Of Wales and follow the road passed numerous pubs and shops. The road splits again continue past the Royal Oak. Get into the middle lane left, at the roundabout take the second exit by the KFC onto Rutland Road. At the top of Rutland Road Saltergate our old home, turn right then immediately left on St Margarets Drive. At the end of St Margarets Drive turn right on to Cross Street then next left onto Queen Street. The Chesterfield Arms local Camra pub of the year 2010 is at the bottom of Queen Street. At the Chesterfield Arms junction turn right on to Newbold Road. Follow Newbold Road towards the town centre but keep in the left hand lane at the mini roundabout and turn left on to the B6057 Sheffield Road for just over a mile. At the next roundabout get into the middle lane and take the second exit the Donkey Derby is on the right of the Proact Stadium is a few hundred yards just past the Tesco's main entrance.
By Rail:
There is a regular train service to Chesterfield and taxis available at the train station. For pedestrians and cyclists from the Railway Station follow the 'Stonegravels Way' footpath and cycle route that leads past the Chesterfield Hotel and up Brewery Street over the dual carriage way. Turn right down the steps and proceed along Infirmary Road past Chesterfield College and straight ahead along Canal Wharf. Where this joins Hazlehurst Lane bear right onto a new footpath which runs alongside the dual carriageway. Proceed until the footpath runs along the boundary of the Casa Hotel to immerge at Lockoford Lane where there will be the first sighting of the Proact Stadium.
By foot:
The Stonegravels Way is a bicycle route and footpath that leads from the town centre to the north of Chesterfield, currently finishing at the Proact Stadium on Sheffield Road, Whittington Moor. It follows a mixture of quiet roads and off-road paths and is an ideal route for supporters travelling by train who wish to walk to the stadium. Ticket InformationThe Reds have sold out their 2,433 allocation for the visit to Chesterfield.
