Barnsley will welcome Accrington Stanley to Oakwell Stadium on Saturday in search of their first victory of the year.
Despite losing three in a row in all competitions, the Colliers are holding onto the final playoff position in League One, while Accrington are just a point above relegation, winning their previous match 2-0 over Bristol Rovers.
Match preview
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It has been a tough start to 2023 for Michael Duff's men, who were knocked out of the FA Cup by Derby County (3-0) and have yet to earn a point domestically this year, losing their two league fixtures by a combined score of 5-0.
The former manager at Cheltenham Town has stuck with a setup designed to utilise wing-backs high up the field and add a dimension to the attack, but in doing so, they have been susceptible to the counter in recent games.
Throughout the campaign, Barnsley have managed to stay consistent from one domestic outing to the next, losing no more than two successive fixtures so far in this competition.
Scoring the opening goal has been pivotal to their success, with the Tykes failing to win a league fixture all season when going behind 1-0.
Their 3-0 defeat at home to Bolton Wanderers at the beginning of the year was the first loss for them in league play at Oakwell Stadium since October, while they have collected four clean sheets domestically in front of their fans this season.
In three previous meetings with Accrington Stanley in this competition, Barnsley have never lost, blanking them 2-0 in their last home match against them in 2018-19.
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For the Owd Reds, the New Year has brought new hope that they can salvage a season that was going in the wrong direction at the end of 2022.
Accrington are unbeaten in their previous three matches in all competitions, scoring multiple times in the same game last Saturday for the first time domestically since October.
John Coleman's side have dropped consecutive road fixtures in this competition, failing to find the back of the net in five domestic encounters this season away from home.
They have only scored one goal in three previous League One encounters versus Barnsley, with their only point against them coming on Boxing Day last year, in a 1-1 draw.
A victory this weekend would mark just the second time in League One this season that Accrington will have won consecutive fixtures and the first since capturing three straight in between September and October 2022.
They have not netted in the opening half domestically since notching the first goal versus Peterborough last October, though Accrington went on to lose that match, 3-1.
Team News
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You have to go back to the end of 2022 for the last time Barnsley scored a goal at home, when James Norwood and Robbie Cundy each found the back of the net in a 2-1 win over Fleetwood, while their leading scorer Devante Cole has not netted since notching a brace in mid-December when his side defeated Burton 2-0.
That was the last time Bradley Collins collected a clean sheet, while Tomas Kalinauskas left on a free transfer earlier this month, moving to FC Den Bosch in the Dutch Erste Divisie, and Barry Cotter joined Barnsley this week for an undisclosed fee from Shamrock Rovers in Ireland.
Luca Connell was named Barnsley's Player of the Month for December, Jasper Moon was loaned out to Burton Albion for the remainder of the campaign and Bobby Thomas is seeking his first appearance since being added on loan from Burnley last weekend.
Tommy Leigh and Ryan Astley each scored for Accrington last Saturday, while Toby Savin stopped four shots to pick up his first domestic clean sheet since November.
Aaron Pressley had a brace in their Football League Trophy victory over Lincoln City, his first two goals since joining them on loan from Brentford, Sean McConville put home the winning penalty in that quarter-final encounter, while Alex Henderson left on a work experience loan to Colne in the Northern Premier League.
Savin was the only new face in the starting 11 last Saturday who did not begin their match against Lincoln City as he replaced Lukas Jensen in goal.
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Collins; Cadden, Kitching, Andersen; Kane, Wolfe, Connell, Phillips, Benson; Aitchison, Cole
Accrington Stanley possible starting lineup:
Savin; Astley, Conneely, Rodgers, Longelo; Coyle; McConville, Leigh, Hamilton; Whalley, Pressley
We say: Barnsley 1-1 Accrington Stanley
Accrington are coming into this encounter in decent form, and they tend to be well-organised and intelligent on the ball away from home.
Barnsley have struggled with continuity to this point of 2023, and we expect them to have the bulk of the chances this weekend, but they have not shown much poise in the attacking third.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
