Team News:
Striker Marlon Harewood is almost certainly out of this epic South Yorkshire derby. He missed the 2-2 draw with Doncaster on Monday due to an ankle complaint and today’s match looks to have come too soon for him. Reuben Noble-Lazarus is likely to retain his place alongside former Blades striker Andy Gray.
Likely Lineup:
Luke Steele
Matt Hill
Jason Shackell
Stephen Foster
Kieran Trippier
Jacob Butterfield
Nathan Doyle
Jacob Mellis
Danny Haynes
Andy Gray
Reuben Noble-Lazarus
Head To Head:
Barnsley 1-0 Sheffield United Match Report 11/12/10
Barnsley 2-2 Sheffield United Match Report 9/11/09
Sheffield United 2-1 Barnsley Match Report 7/4/09
Barnsley 1-2 Sheffield United Match Report 8/11/08
Barnsley 0-1 Sheffield United Match Report 22/3/08
Last Six Sheffield United v Barnsley results:
11/12/10 Barnsley 1-0 Sheffield United (Championship)
3/4/10 Sheffield United 0-0 Barnsley (Championship)
9/11/09 Barnsley 2-2 Sheffield United (Championship)
7/4/09 Sheffield United 2-1 Barnsley (Championship)
8/11/08 Barnsley 1-2 Sheffield United (Championship)
22/3/08 Barnsley 0-1 Sheffield United (Championship)
Overall Record:
Sheffield United Wins: 25
Barnsley Wins: 15
Draws: 21
Sheffield United Goals: 96
Barnsley Goals: 66
At Bramall Lane:
Sheffield United Wins: 15
Barnsley Wins: 6
Draws: 9
Sheffield United Goals: 52
Barnsley Goals: 28
This Season:
Last six 2010-2011 results:
Sheffield United:
25/4/11 Reading 2–3 Sheffield United (Championship)
23/4/11 Sheffield United 3-2 Bristol City (Championship)
16/4/11 Preston 3-1 Sheffield United (Championship)
12/4/11 Sheffield United 0-2 Cardiff (Championship)
9/4/11 Sheffield United 1-2 Middlesbrough (Championship)
4/4/11 QPR 3-0 Sheffield United (Championship)
W:2 D: 0 L: 4 F: 8 A: 14 GD: -6 Points: 6
Barnsley:
25/4/11 Barnsley 2–2 Doncaster (Championship)
23/4/11 Watford 1-0 Barnsley (Championship)
16/4/11 Middlesbrough 1-1 Barnsley (Championship)
12/4/11 Barnsley 0-1 QPR (Championship)
9/4/11 Barnsley 4-2 Bristol City (Championship)
2/4/11 Crystal Palace 2-1 Barnsley (Championship)
W: 1 D: 2 L: 3 F: 8 A: 9 GD: -1 Points: 5
Interesting Stats:
Anything but victory for Sheffield United this afternoon would condemn them to the third tier for the first time in 22 years. Even a win against Barnsley will not be enough if both Crystal Palace and Doncaster get at least a point from their respective matches this afternoon.
The Blades looked dead and buried a week ago, but successive 3-2 wins over the Easter weekend against Bristol City and Reading have given Micky Adams side a glimmer of hope and they sit six points off safety with six left to play- although their goal difference is eight inferior to Rovers and nine to Palace. Those back to back victories, only the third time they have achieved that this season, came on the back of a shocking run of just two wins in 22 matches which have plunged the Blades to the brink of relegation.
History and form is not on Barnsley’s side for this fixture however. The Reds have not won at Bramall Lane for nearly 10 years to the day. A 2-1 win on the 7th April 2001 was the last time the Reds emerged victorious from this part of Sheffield, but they will have hope after beating the Blades 1-0 at Oakwell back in December, which was their first victory over them home since 1999. Victory at the Lane would give them their first double over United since the Premiership promotion season of 1996-1997 when they won 1-0 away and 2-0 at home.
Victories are something Barnsley are finding very hard to come by at the moment. The Reds have won just two of their last 15 matches which has seen them drop from a top half position to 18th- a place they have not finished above since winning promotion in 2006. If they beat United today however it will put the Reds on 55 points for the season and equal their best points tally since their return.
This match though pits one of the worst home records against one of the worst away ones. United may have defeated Bristol City last out at the Lane but they have been defeated 11 times on their own turf this season- the most in the division and have won just seven times- only the two teams below them, Scunthorpe and Preston have won less home games.
Barnsley however have won just three times on their travels- only Palace who have won only one away game all season have a worse record, and the Reds have not tasted victory away from Oakwell since a 2-0 win at Doncaster in January, a run of nine matches. If they fail to win this afternoon it will equal their lowest number of away victories since promotion, as they also won just three times on their travels in 2007-2008.
If United’s relegation is confirmed this weekend, or indeed next, it will mean the 2011-2012 season will see Barnsley be in a higher division than both Sheffield clubs for the first time ever and if they finish above Doncaster this season- they are currently five points ahead they will finish as the highest placed team in South Yorkshire for the first time ever also!
Mad Sites
Official Sites
Derby v Bristol City, 15:00
Hull v Crystal Palace, 15:00
Nott'm Forest v Scunthorpe, 15:00
Monday, 2 May 2011
Cardiff v Middlesbrough, 17:15
Portsmouth v Norwich, 19:45