Stephen Dawson, Jimmy McNulty and Reuben Noble-Lazarus are the only absentees as The Reds go chasing a third straight league win at bogey side Middlesbrough.
McNulty is two weeks away from fitness after a knee injury whilst midfield enforcer Dawson still has two more months on the sidelines.
Jason Scotland is pushing for a first start after two goals in his first two games for the club from the bench but manager David Flitcroft will probably name an unchanged side.
Last time out - Barnsley Team:
Luke Steele
Scott Golbourne
Stephen Foster
Martin Cranie
Tom Kennedy
Rory Delap
Jim O’Brien
David Perkins
Kelvin Etuhu
Marlon Harewood
Chris Dagnall
Last Six Middlesbrough v Barnsley Results:
18/8/12 Barnsley 1-0 Middlesbrough (Championship)
6/3/12 Middlesbrough 2-0 Barnsley (Championship)
16/8/11 Barnsley 1-3 Middlesbrough (Championship)
16/4/11 Middlesbrough 1-1 Barnsley (Championship)
28/8/10 Barnsley 2-0 Middlesbrough (Championship)
9/2/10 Middlesbrough 2-1 Barnsley (Championship)
Overall Record:
Middlesbrough Wins: 28
Barnsley Wins: 14
Draws: 11
Middlesbrough Goals: 95
Barnsley Goals: 47
At Middlesbrough (3 at the Riverside Stadium, 22 at Ayresome Park, 3 at Linthorpe Road West Cricket Ground):
Middlesbrough Wins: 20
Barnsley Wins: 3
Draws: 5
Middlesbrough Goals: 57
Barnsley: 15
This SeasonLast six 2012-2013 results:
Barnsley:
2/2/13 Blackpool 1-2 Barnsley (Championship)
29/1/13 Barnsley 2–0 Millwall (Championship)
26/1/13 Hull 0–1 Barnsley (FA Cup)
19/1/13 Ipswich 1-1 Barnsley (Championship)
12/1/13 Barnsley 2–0 Leeds (Championship)
5/1/13 Barnsley 1–0 Burnley (FA Cup)
W: 5 D: 1 L: 0 F: 9 A: 2 GD: +7 Points: 10* (two victories in FA Cup)
Middlesbrough:
2/2/13 Ipswich 4-0 Middlesbrough (Championship)
26/1/13 Middlesbrough 2-1 Aldershot (FA Cup)
18/1/13 Leicester 1-0 Middlesbrough (Championship)
12/1/13 Middlesbrough 1-2 Watford (Championship)
5/1/13 Middlesbrough 4-1 Hastings (FA Cup)
1/1/13 Derby 3-1 Middlesbrough (Championship)
W: 2 D: 0 L: 4 F: 8 A: 12 GD: -4 Points: 0 * two victories in FA Cup.
Interesting Stats:
This is the 50th league meeting between Middlesbrough and Barnsley.
Victory for Barnsley tomorrow would give them their first league double over Middlesbrough for 21 years. The last time they played them home and away in a league season and did not concede a goal at all was back in 1985-1986 when the two sides played out a pair of goal-less draws.
Remarkably the last time these two teams played on the 9th February it was against each other at the Riverside. In 2010 Middlesbrough triumphed 2-1.
The Reds have an awful record at Middlesbrough. In 28 visits over 114 years Barnsley have returned from this part of the North East victorious just three times and have scored just 15 times. They have only netted more than once in a game on one occasion, in 1956 when they triumphed 2-1 in the old Second Division.
The last victory at Middlesbrough was way back in April 1992 when the Teesiders still played at Ayresome Park. The Reds have never won at the Riverside Stadium and have lost two of the three trips they have made there.
This is one of Middlesbrough’s oldest fixtures as The Reds were only the third ever team to travel to Boro first’s ground- Linthorpe Road in 1899. Needless to say Boro won, 3-0.
Despite The Reds woes on the road when facing Middlesbrough their home record is much more impressive. Boro have won only one of their last five trips to Oakwell and Barnsley beat Boro 1-0 at home on the opening day of the Championship season back in August. Both the Barnsley manager and goalscorer that day are no longer at the club.
If Barnsley can get that elusive Riverside victory this weekend it will give them their second league double of the season, equalling the amount of league doubles they managed last season.
Middlesbrough need to score three times to total 50 goals in home league games against Barnsley, while the Tykes are three goals shy of 50 in competitive matches against the Teesside club.
This may be the best time to face the Boro. Despite still residing in the Championship’s play-off positions they have lost their last four league matches, their worst run of the season and they are yet to register a single point in 2013, the only Championship side yet to do so.
They have not lost five league games in a row for 13 years when they were a Premier League side.
Middlesbrough’s last clean sheet was on Boxing Day, a total of seven league and cup games ago.
However Tony Mowbray’s side do have an impressive home record this season. They have won 10 of their 14 league games at the Riverside in 2012-2013- two more than they managed in the whole of 2011-2012. Only the division’s top two, Cardiff and Leicester have won more home games.
They have netted 29 times at home this season, five more than they managed in the whole of last season.
Despite their recent poor form, Boro are on exactly the same amount of points and in exactly the same league position as they were at this stage of last season. They have won five more home games however but lost one more. They finished last season in seventh place, five points off the play-offs.
Barnsley are at the opposite end of the form table having won five of their last six matches and three of the last four in the league.
The Reds are looking for a third straight league victory, something that has not been achieved since December 2011.
They are also hunting a second successive away league victory, again something not achieved since December 2011.
Victory at Middlesbrough would give David Flitcroft’s side a fifth away league victory of the season for the first time since the 2009-2010 season.
On This Day:
Middlesbrough:
Played: 19 Won: 8 Drawn: 2 Lost: 9 Scored: 34 Conceded: 30.
Last match on the 9th February: 2010. Middlesbrough 2-1 Barnsley (Killen, O’Neil) ATT: 17,775.
Last win: 2010
Last draw: 2002
Last defeat: 1993
STAT! Three of Middlesbrough’s last four matches on this date have been against Yorkshire sides, after Saturday it will be four of the last five.
Barnsley:
Played: 18 Won: 6 Drawn: 5 Lost: 7 Scored 27 Conceded 30.
Last match on the 9th February: 2010. Middlesbrough 2-1 Barnsley (Colace). ATT: 17,775.
Last win: 2008
Last draw: 2002
Last defeat: 2010
STAT! – Barnsley have drawn five of the last nine matches on this date.
Mad Sites:
www.middlesbrough-mad.co.uk
www.barnsley-mad.co.uk
Official Sites:
www.mfc.co.uk
www.barnsleyfc.co.uk
Other Fixtures:
Friday 8th February 2013:
7:45pm:
Watford v Crystal Palace
Saturday 9th February 2013:
3pm:
Blackburn v Ipswich
Blackpool v Millwall
Bolton v Burnley
Bristol City v Nottingham Forest
Charlton v Birmingham
Huddersfield v Cardiff
Peterborough v Leicester
Sheffield Wednesday v Derby
Wolves v Leeds
5:20pm:
Brighton v Hull
Source: TykesMAD
Source: FOOTYMAD
