Npower Championship Matchday Thirty: Barnsley v Birmingham City

10 February 2012 20:35
Match Preview

Scott Golbourne could make his first start for the club after scoring on his debut against Watford last weekend. Fellow new recruit Stephen Dawson is still a couple of weeks away from his first appearance due to an ankle injury. Goalkeeper Luke Steele is set for his 150th Barnsley appearance. The 27 year old who made his debut in that memorable FA Cup win at Liverpool exactly four years ago has kept 30 clean sheets in his 149 appearance for The Reds, but none in his last 13.

Team News

Likely Line-Up:

Luke Steele

Scott Wiseman

Stephen Foster

Rob Edwards

Jim McNulty

Korey Smith

David Perkins

Michael Tonge

Matty Done

Craig Davies

Andy Gray  

Head To Head

Last Six Barnsley v Birmingham Results:

24/9/11 Birmingham 1-1 Barnsley (Championship)

10/3/09 Barnsley 1-1 Birmingham (Championship)

23/8/08 Birmingham 2-0 Barnsley (Championship)

9/4/07 Barnsley 1-0 Birmingham (Championship)

11/11/06 Birmingham 2-0 Barnsley (Championship)

16/2/02 Birmingham 1-0 Barnsley (Division One)

Overall Record:

Barnsley Wins: 20

Birmingham Wins: 34

Draws: 18

Barnsley Goals: 90

Birmingham Goals: 114

At Oakwell:

Barnsley Wins: 12

Birmingham Wins: 15

Draws: 9

Barnsley Goals: 54

Birmingham Goals: 57

This Season

Last six 2011-2012 results:

Birmingham:

7/2/12 Birmingham 1–0 Portsmouth (Championship)

4/2/12 Birmingham 0–0 Southampton (Championship)

31/1/12 Leeds 1-4 Birmingham (Championship)

28/1/12 Sheffield United 0-4 Birmingham (FA Cup)

21/1/12 Birmingham 3-0 Watford (Championship)

18/1/12 Wolves 0-1 Birmingham (FA Cup)

W: 5 D: 1 L: 0 F: 13 A: 1 GD: 12 Points: 10

Barnsley:

4/2/12 Watford 2-1 Barnsley (Championship)

31/1/12 Barnsley 3–2 Derby (Championship)

21/1/12 Barnsley 1–3 Millwall (Championship)

14/1/12 Leicester 1–2 Barnsley (Championship)

7/1/12 Barnsley 2–4 Swansea (FA Cup)

2/1/12 Doncaster 2–0 Barnsley (Championship)

W: 2 D: 0 L: 4 F: 9 A: 14 GD: -5 Points: 6

Interesting Stats

Barnsley are facing the most in-form team in the country tomorrow. Birmingham have won seven of their last eight matches in all competitions including five of their last six in the Championship which has taken them from 14th in the table to third, and just two points off an automatic promotion place.

Indeed the Second City side are unbeaten in all competitions since the 19th December (a total of 12 matches), keeping seven clean sheets including in six of their last seven games.

Barnsley are the model of inconsistency in recent weeks, with their last five results reading L W L W L and they have not achieved back to back victories since the four match winning streak in late 2011.  On the other hand they have not suffered back-to-back league defeats since the three they suffered straight after those four victories.

It is now 13 matches since The Reds last kept a clean sheet- the longest current such run in this season’s Championship and the longest the club have gone without a shut out since they conceded in 25 games in a row in the 2002-2003 season.

Tomorrow’s match will be Birmingham 42nd game of the 2011-2012 season- no Championship team has played more- The Blues have contested 29 Championship games, eight in the Europa League, three in the FA Cup and one in the League Cup, which they won last season.

Birmingham will travel to South Yorkshire in good spirits tomorrow, regardless of their current impressive run. The Blues have won more Oakwell meetings with Barnsley than The Reds themselves- 15 to 12 and scored more goals – 57 to 54, although they have not won in their most two most recent trips, with their last victory coming back in 2001.

Barnsley though have won just one of their last 10 meetings home and away with the Blues- 1-0 in April 2007, but arguably their most famous success was the 4-0 thumping they inflicted on then manager Trevor Francis’ side at St Andrews in the first leg of the 1999-2000 Division One Play-Off Semi-Finals. The Reds lost the home leg 2-1 but progressed to the final where they were defeated 4-2 by Ipswich at Wembley.

Mad Sites

www.barnsley-mad.co.uk

www.birminghamcity-mad.co.uk

 Official Sites

www.barnsleyfc.co.uk

www.bcfc.com

Other Fixtures

3pm:

Crystal Palace v Doncaster

Hull v Bristol City

Ipswich v Middlesbrough

Leeds v Brighton

Leicester v Cardiff

Millwall v Derby

Nottingham Forest v Watford

Peterborough v West Ham

Reading v Coventry

Southampton v Burnley

5:20pm:

Blackpool v Portsmouth

Source: FOOTYMAD