Barnsley are currently second place in the Sky Bet League One standings and next face Doncaster Rovers on Friday evening. The promotion hopefuls recently played out to a stalemate against promotional rivals Sunderland at home.
The result kept the club in the hunt for the automatic place and extended their lead over Sunderland to four points. However, the Blackcats still have a game in hand on Barnsley and the Oakwell outfit have to ensure maximum points in their last 9 games.
Barnsley visits Doncaster who currently sits on the last playoff position which should make the match one for the neutrals. Doncaster drew away at Blackpool in their last game an would be looking to win to consolidate their position in the race for the playoffs.
Daniel Stendel’s side have the opportunity of playing first which would mean that a victory would cut down the lead of Luton Town to just two points. Barnsley have been exceptional this season and are on course to achieve their target of gaining promotion to the Championship at the end of the season.
With nine games left the Reds are currently on a 17 game unbeaten run in which they have kept a remarkable 10 clean sheets during this period. One of the major beneficiaries of this run is the form of the goalkeeper Adam Davies who has kept five clean sheets in a row.
This has also been a testament to the coaching tactics of Daniel Stendel as his players have been able to keep it nice and compact at the back limiting the chances of opposition forwards.
The head to head analysis of both teams is close with Doncaster having the edge with 27 victories to Barnsley’s 24 in 74 meetings in all competitions. The most recent clash earlier in the season ended in a draw at Oakwell and this game promises to be a cagey affair.