Barnsley entertain Watford amidst a lot of pressure on manager David Flitcroft, who has said that his players may not be warned more about the threat of Watford. Gianfranco Zola’s team narrowly failed to make it into the Premier league last season. They have managed to build on the form from last campaign, as they are currently sixth in the table. Barnsley, meanwhile, are struggling near the foot of the table in the Championship amidst a lot of talk that manager Flitcroft could be sacked in the next few weeks if results do not improve.
Barnsley have taken just one victory all season long and as a result, find themselves just above Bolton Wanderers at the bottom of the table. The solitary victory over Huddersfield town came only recently, and it could be the only saving grace for Flitcroft as he tries to motivate his team against all odds. Barnsley come into the match after a 1-0 defeat away from home at the hands of Bournemouth. Even though this match against Watford will be at home, this is not probably the ideal time to be at home given the response of the supporters could turn against them if they do not play well.
After this match, they have a difficult run of fixtures against the likes of Leicester and QPR.
“I thought the end of last when they didn’t go up they’d lose that rhythm but they’ve got back into that rhythm. They’ll keep progressing. They’re a good team and they’re, progressively, getting better. It’s going to be a tough task but it’s certainly one I believe we can get something out of. My group of players, man to man, have to be on top of their game. We can’t have an 80 per cent performance,” said Flitcroft ahead of the Watford match.