Barnsley will look to continue their fine run of form when they face Yorkshire rivals Bradford City tonight.
Saturday’s impressive 6-1 triumph against Rochdale was the Reds’ fourth win in a row in League One which leaves them in 17thplace and five points above the relegation zone.
The Club’s impressive performances in recent weeks have also seen Lee Johnson’s side score 16 goals in five games in all competitions including nine in their last two outings.
Three of them came at Shrewsbury just over a week ago as the Reds beat the Shrews 3-0 to make it two wins on the bounce away from Oakwell going into Tuesday night’s clash at the Coral Windows Stadium.
Hosts Bradford meanwhile go into the game on the back of some indifferent form which has seen them win just one of their last six games in both league and cup.
Phil Parkinson’s outfit have also lost three of their last six in League One but despite that they are unbeaten in their last two; beating Oldham 1-0 and drawing 1-1 at Port Vale on Saturday.
The Bantams’ inconsistent form of late has come on the back of a nine-match unbeaten run however, meaning the West Yorkshire based side remain in 10thplace and just five points behind the play-off places.
The Club’s home form has also continued to go from strength to strength with Parkinson’s men unbeaten in six at home in the league; winning four and drawing two.
Previous Meetings
Barnsley will be looking to continue their decent record against the Bantams when they travel to the Coral Windows Stadium on Tuesday.
The Reds have lost only once in the last nine meetings between the two Clubs; winning three and drawing five.
The most recent of those clashes came earlier this season when the two sides locked horns twice in the space of two months.
A goalless draw at Oakwell in their first league meeting of the campaign was the 31ststalemate between the two Clubs, while just under two months later and the Reds earned their second win in three games at the Coral Windows Stadium with a 2-1 Football League Trophy success courtesy of Alfie Mawson’s second-half winner.
That victory was Barnsley’s 37thin this fixture and with Bradford also on the same number of wins against the Reds both sides will be going all out for the bragging rights come Tuesday evening.
Team News
Head Coach Lee Johnson could field the same side which handsomely beat Rochdale on Saturday for the short trip to Bradford.
That would see George Williams continue at left-back with Aidy White ruled out for the next two to four weeks.
In attack Sam Winnall will be searching for his ninth goal in six games, while Josh Scowen could get some more minutes under his belt after making his long awaited return from injury at the weekend.
Hosts Bradford will make a late check on the fitness of forward James Hanson, who has missed the Bantams last two games with a calf injury.
Jamie Proctor – who joined Bradford on loan from Fleetwood last week in a deal which saw Devante Cole move to the Fylde Coast – netted on his Bantams debut against Port Vale and he should lead the Club’s attack once again if Hanson fails to recover.
Steven Davies will also be pushing for a start after recently returning from a long-term knee injury but one man who will not feature against the Reds is midfielder Lee Evans following his dismissal against Port Vale on Saturday.
Man in the Middle
The appointment of Simon Hooper for Tuesday night’s derby clash will have failed to put many smiles on the faces of both the Barnsley and Bradford supporters. That is because both Clubs have endured some miserable afternoons in the company of the Wiltshire-based official. For the Reds they have lost all four of their meetings with Hooper including earlier this season when he watched over Barnsley’s 5-3 League Cup defeat against Everton.
Hosts Bradford meanwhile have only met with Hooper once but it was a day to forget as they suffered a 2-0 home loss against Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United in October last season. Both United goals came in the second half at the Coral Windows Stadium, which was after Hooper had dismissed Bantams right-back Stephen Darby following two yellow cards.
In Barnsley’s meeting with Everton back in August, Hooper – who will be assisted by linesmen Simon Clayton and James Bell on Tuesday night – handed out three yellow cards, which are just three of 70 shown by Tuesday’s referee in 29 games so far this term, including two reds; the last of which was brandished in December.
Their Star Man
Despite playing most of his career in more defensive-based roles, Tony McMahon’s attacking capabilities have been a revelation for Bradford City in recent weeks. Signed from Blackpool in the summer - following an eight-match loan spell with the Bantams at the end of last season – the Bishop Auckland-born utility man has starred in a right-wing role in front of captain Stephen Darby at full-back; netting four times in his last 12 appearances.
The importance of those strikes have also been key as the Bantams aim to reach the play-off places, with the former Middlesbrough man hitting penalties in back-to-back wins against Aldershot in the FA Cup and then Scunthorpe in League One. The 29-year-old former Sheffield Wednesday loanee then struck the only goal of a tight contest with Chesterfield in mid-December, before he secured the Bantams another three points earlier this month when he headed home James Meredith’s cross for his fourth of the campaign against Oldham.
It is not only goals that McMahon has added to Phil Parkinson’s side however, with his aggressive and hardworking nature helping the Bantams defend from the front; keeping 12 clean sheets in their last 16 games in all competitions. It is that tenacious style which makes the ex-England youth international a certain starter at the Coral Windows Stadium and the Barnsley left-hand side will have to be prepared for a tough evening on Tuesday.
Mutual Man
He might have made his name with Premier League sides Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion but former footballer Ronnie Wallwork also enjoyed brief loan spells with both Barnsley and Bradford City.
It was from West Brom that the defender-turned-holding midfielder joined both the Reds and the Bantams, first penning a short-term loan deal with Bradford in January 2004. The former Red Devil scored on his debut for the Club in a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace and after extending his temporary stay for an extra month he went onto bag four in total including a brace on his final outing for the West Yorkshire side in a 2-1 triumph at Rotherham.
Wallwork spent the next two campaigns back at parent Club West Brom where he clocked up another 58 appearances in both league and cup. Three months into the 2006-07 season however and the utility man was back in Yorkshire, this time joining the Reds. With West Brom now plying their trade in the Championship, many were surprised that the United academy graduate was allowed to join a divisional rival and Wallwork proved a vital asset as he helped the Reds pick up back-to-back victories against Ipswich and Southend in what turned out to be his only outings for the Club.
That was because Wallwork’s stay at Oakwell was cut short in December 2006 following an incident at a bar in Manchester which saw the former Carlisle loanee stabbed several times. After recovering from that attack, the ex-England U20 international had a successful loan spell at Huddersfield Town in 2007 before a permanent switch to Sheffield Wednesday in January 2008, where he was released after just four months.
Form Guide
Bradford’s last five at home: (WDWWL)
Bradford City 2-0 Aldershot Town (FA Cup)
Bradford City 0-0 Coventry City
Bradford City 4-0 Chesham United (FA Cup)
Bradford City 1-0 Oldham Athletic
Bradford City 0-0 Bury (Bury won 5-4 on penalties; FA Cup)
Barnsley’s last five away from home: (WLWWW)
Oldham Athletic 1-2 Barnsley
Peterborough United 3-2 Barnsley
Wigan Athletic 2-2 Barnsley (Barnsley won on penalties; JPT)
Colchester United 2-3 Barnsley
Shrewsbury Town 0-3 Barnsley
Going to the match?
Bradford City plays at the Coral Windows Stadium, its address is as follows:
Bradford City Football Club
Coral Windows Stadium
Valley Parade
Bradford
West Yorkshire
BD8 7DY
How to get there
By Road:
take A1 southbound to join A1/M1 link then join M62 westbound. From the North East
take M1 or A1 northbound to join M62 westbound.From the South
take M6 then M60 Manchester Ring Road to join M62 eastbound then: From the North West / West
From M62 exit at j26
Take M606 towards Bradford. At end of motorway take the middle or right hand lane and follow signs for Ring Road East (under tunnel) onto Rooley Lane (signs Leeds/Bradford Airport). McDonalds is now on your left. Over traffic lights at Asda Superstore and turn left at roundabout into Wakefield Road. Stay in middle lane. Over two roundabouts staying in the middle lane (signs to Shipley & Skipton) on to Shipley Airedale Road (A6037) which then becomes Canal Road. After Tesco, Staples & P C World (on left) go over traffic lights and turn left into Station Road (A6177) and left again into Queens Road.
Then up the hill to third set of traffic lights and turn left into Manningham Lane. After Gulf Petrol Station (on left), take first left into Valley Parade for Stadium.
By Bus:
First Bradford and Keighley & District Travel Company operate frequent bus services from Bradford city centre, Bradford Interchange and outlying areas to the Coral Windows Stadium (buses stop on Manningham Lane or Queens Road).
By Rail:
The nearest Rail Station for the Stadium is Bradford Forster Square. Services are operated by Northern Rail. Bradford Interchange also connects with Leeds City station for National Express East Coast and Cross Country services.
Ticket Information
Tickets for our upcoming away game against Bradford City are now on general sale and from the Reds Superstore / Box Office.
Tickets are priced as follows:
£25Adults:
£15Senior (Over 60's):
£15Student (with valid ID):
£10Juniors Under 16:
£5Juniors Under 11 (with full paying adult):
The official club coaches depart Oakwell at 5pm on matchday and is priced at £16 per seat.
