All that attended the previous meeting between these two Yorkshire rivals won’t forget what happened in a hurry. It was a day that really did sum up what the championship is all about, full of so many ups and downs, with the last few minutes where players were seen chatting and sitting down as the clock was run down to like nothing I’m sure anybody had seen before.
Since then so much has changed; the start of the season has been a real reality check for most fans after our dramatic final day battle against relegation. With Flitcroft signing a deal (one year) at the club there was a sense of trust and stability in the club with the dream of a safe mid-table finish looking realistic. The start of the season has been a real body blow; injuries, suspensions and a few dodgy refereeing decisions have not helped but the fact is we haven’t been good enough. It is still early doors however and Peterborough had an even worse start last season but look where they ended up. I really can’t stress enough how important 3 points would be before the international break.
Huddersfield will be tough opposition with James Vaughan the championships in form striker at the moment as well as Mark Robins looking like he is once again starting to get the best out of Adam Hammill as he did here at Oakwell. Mark Robins appointment I think was met by some opposition by some of the Huddersfield fans but I knew from his time here he is a good solid manager and he has begun well this season as he looks to transform a club with real (dare I say) Premier League potential.
It does seem that morale isn’t particularly high at the moment in the Barnsley camp but Flitcroft is one of the best motivators in the game and I’m sure he can get them he will get them up to a level where they can compete in this derby.
As for predictions past form and meetings go out of the window, this game looks like quite a coin flip as many Championship games are. Without too much analysis I’ll say we won’t keep a clean sheet with a scrappy game finishing 2-1 to Huddersfield although I hope for a different outcome.
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