Barnsleyvs.Blackpool

The hosts trail the playoff places by six points following a midweek defeat, while their visitors are seven points worse off in 13th spot.

Match preview

Barnsley return to Oakwell on Saturday aiming to bounce back from a midweek loss in their bid to strengthen their League One playoff hopes in the final run-in.

After a strong first half to the season under the management of new Darrell Clarke, staking their claim for a third straight top-six finish by earning 42 points from their first 25 outings, the South Yorkshire outfit saw their playoff bid take a major hit early in the new year, as a six-match span produced one draw and five defeats.

Then with sixth spot almost but out of reach, the Reds were able to get back on track with three straight victories, scraping past Rotherham United and Northampton Town away from home before eventually coming out of a home meeting with Lincoln City as 4-3 winners, having been forced to stand strong late on after leading 4-1 through Davis Keillor-Dunn, Adam Phillips, Georgie Gent and Max Watters.

A tough trip to then-sixth-placed Charlton Athletic then followed on Tuesday, and the Reds were unable to make it four wins on the bounce and reduce the gap between the teams to a single point, having left The Valley empty-handed as Macaulay Gillesphey's early goal made the only difference between the sides.

Left wounded having seen their winning run halted in a pivotal contest in midweek, Barnsley remain 10th and six points outside of the playoff spots, and they will now be desperate to kickstart another hot streak and a climb towards the top six ahead of the run-in on Saturday.

They meet a visiting side who have seen their own playoff hopes dwindle in recent months, dropping back into the bottom half of the League One table in the process.

With 26 points on the board from 19 league outings before Christmas, Blackpool were poised to challenge for a top-six spot in the second half of the season, and while they have lost just two of their 15 third-tier games since, they have added just 19 points to their tally in that time.

Indeed, Steve Bruce's side have also picked up just two wins since before December, all three of which came in a 10-match unbeaten streak in the league which culminated in a 3-1 home triumph over Crawley Town last month.

That streak would then be brought to an end by a 2-1 loss away at promotion-chasing Stockport County, before the Tangerines most recently hosted Peterborough United on Tuesday and shared the points in a goalless stalemate, taking their tally to 15 league draws for the season, three more than any other team in the division.

Now sitting 13th in League One, 13 points behind the top six but only one behind 12th-placed Lincoln City and two behind 11th-placed Stevenage, Blackpool will aim to get back to winning ways and move back into the top half on Saturday.

Barnsley League One form:

L

L

W

W

W

L

Blackpool League One form:

D

D

D

W

L

D

Team News

Barnsley head into the weekend without defender Mael de Gevigney, who will serve the final instalment of a three-match ban, while first-choice goalkeeper Joe Gauci should remain confined to the treatment room alongside Barry Cotter, Fabio Jalo and Donovan Pines.

Their defensive issues were worsened in the trip to Charlton Athletic on Tuesday as Josh Earl was forced off in the first half, meaning Connor Barratt will likely come in to join Marc Roberts and Conor McCarthy in a new-look back three in front of backup stopper Jackson Smith.

Stephen Humphrys will hope to keep his place up front alongside Davis Keillor-Dunn, who leads the squad with 14 goals this season, while Adam Phillips will offer further attacking support from the midfield in their 3-5-2 setup having contributed 10 goals of his own thus far.

Blackpool are set to remain without defender Odeluga Offiah and winger Tom Bloxham due to ongoing injuries, after they missed Tuesday's draw with Peterborough United.

After that clean sheet, and in the expected absence of Offiah, Matthew Pennington, Oliver Casey and Elkan Baggott will line up in an unchanged back three, while Sonny Carey should again operate ahead of key men Lee Evans and Albie Morgan in midfield.

Despite attacking competition from the likes of Rob Apter, Sam Silvera, CJ Hamilton and Jake Beesley, Ashley Fletcher and Niall Ennis will hope to continue in a front two, with the former having moved onto seven league goals for the season with four in the Tangerines' last nine games.

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Smith; McCarthy, Roberts, Barratt; O'Keefe, Phillips, Connell, Russell, Farrugia; Keillor-Dunn, Humphrys

Blackpool possible starting lineup:

Tyrer; Pennington, Casey, Baggott; Lawrence-Gabriel, Morgan, Evans, Coulson; Carey; Ennis, Fletcher

We say: Barnsley 1-1 Blackpool

Written by

Sam Varley

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