Npower Championship Matchday Eighteen: Barnsley v Portsmouth

Team News:

Reds boss Mark Robins is set to stick with the same side that secured only a second ever league victory at Ipswich last weekend. It means striker Garry O’Connor who has bagged two goals in two games is set for his second home debut. Nathan Doyle and Adam Hammill are just one booking away from a suspension.

Likely Lineup:

Luke Steele

Kieran Trippier

Jason Shackell

Stephen Foster

Bobby Hassell

Adam Hammill

Nathan Doyle

Hugo Colace

Jim O’Brien

Goran Lovre

Garry O’Connor

Head To Head:

It is nearly nine years since Barnsley and Portsmouth last locked horns, but it was an epic game at Fratton Park which ended in a 4—4 draw. The Reds were unbeaten in 10 league matches when they made the trip to the South Coast but found themselves 4-2 down at one point. Robert Prosinecki gave Pompey a fifth minute lead from the penalty before Chris Lumsdown restored parity on the quarter hour mark. Linvoy Primus would give Portsmouth a half time lead only for Chris Barker to level the scores just three minutes after the break. It looked like The Reds unbeaten run would come to an end when Prosinecki completed his hat-trick with goals in the 61^st and 69^th minutes. It was not to be however as The Reds produced a stirring final six minutes. A Lumsdon penalty- which saw Primus sent off- reduced the arrears in the 84^th minute and then right at the death Mike Sheron grabbed an equaliser. Incidentally Barnsley would lose eight of their final 13 games though and were relegated from Division One.

Teams:

Portsmouth: Beasant, Zamperini, Primus (sent off 84), Buxton, Crowe, Pitt (Hiley, 85 ) , Derry, O'Neil,Harper, Prosinecki, Crouch
Subs not used: Tardif,Curtis,Rudonja,Lovell,

Barnsley: Miller, Mulligan, Barker, Chettle, Morgan, Donovan ( Bertos, 72 ) , Jones, Lumsdon, Barnard,Dyer ( Bedeau, 72 ) , Sheron
Subs not used: Marriott, Neil, Ward,

That game was the second time Portsmouth had stuck four past Barnsley in that disastrious 2001-2002 season. Pompey had come to Oakwell in the September and hammered The Reds 4-1. Barnsley had made an awful start to the season, winning just two of their opening 10 games and Pompey took full advantage of the lack of confidence in the side. Darren Barnard had put The Reds in front from the spot after nine minutes but after that Pompey took control. Jamie Vincent and a certain Peter Crouch had put Pompey in front by half time with Lee Bradbury adding further goals after the break.

Teams:

Barnsley: Marriott, Regan, Barker, Morgan, Barnard, Donovan, Tinkler (Kay, 74 ) , Neil, Gorre (Lee Jones, 63 ) , Dyer, Fallon
Subs not used: Ghent,Parkin,Sheron,

Portsmouth: Ilic, Vincent, Crowe, Hiley, Edinburgh, O'Neil, Harper, Barrett, Prosinecki ( Pitt, 84 ) ,Bradbury, Crouch
Subs not used: Tardif, Vine, Brady, Zamperini

That result though is Portsmouth’s only win in their last 11 trips to Oakwell, stretching back to 1989. Indeed, Barnsley have won the last four preceding that 4-1 trouncing. One of those victories was a stunning 6-0 triumph in August 1999- they haven’t scored six goals at Oakwell since. It was only 1-0 at half time, and that was thanks to Robin Van Der Laan scoring right on the whistle but by then Pompey were down to nine men after Andrew Awford was sent off in the 22^nd minute and Fitzroy Simpson in the 34^th- both for professional fouls. Portsmouth simply could not cope with the numerical disadvantage in the second half and Barnsley ran riot with Darren Barnard, Matty Appleby (2), Van Der Laan again and Craig Hignett all netting. This was also a prominent game for Barnsley Football Club by the fact it was the first time home supporters were allowed to sit in the newly built North Stand. In typical Barnsley style, two days later they lost 6-1 at Ipswich!

Teams:

Barnsley: Miller, Eaden, Moses, Tuttle, Jones, Barnard, Hignett, Appleby, Richardson (Bullock, 75 ) ,van der Laan (Hristov, 77 ) , Sheron (Dyer, 68 )
Subs not used: Tinkler,Bullock,

Portsmouth: Petterson, Robinson, Whitbread, Awford(sent off 22), Miglioranzi, McLoughlin, Peron (Vlachos, 24 ) , Simpson(sent off 34), Thogersen, Allen, Whittingham ( Newton, 45 )
Subs not used: Igoe, Flahavan, Nightingale,

The most recent home meeting also ended in success for The Reds as a Bruce Dyer strike secured a 1-0 win in November 2000.

Teams:

Barnsley: Miller, Ward, Dyer, Sheron, Morgan, Neil (Thomas, 83 ) , O'Callaghan, Barker, Corbo(Barnard, 55 ) , Chettle, Ripley
Subs not used: Moses,Lee Jones,Walker,

Portsmouth: Hoult, Primus ( Edinburgh, 11 ) , Derry, Moore, Claridge, Bradbury ( Nightingale, 71 ) ,Hughes, Quashie, Thogersen, Hiley, Panopoulos
Subs not used: Flahavan, Waterman, Miglioranzi,

Unfortunately Barnsley’s record at Fratton Park is not so impressive with The Reds having won just one of their last 15 trips. That success came in March 1999 when they secured an impressive 3-1 success. John Durnin gave Portsmouth a half time lead but The Reds turned it around after the break with Craig Hignett, an Adrian Whitbread own goal and Bruce Dyer taking the three points 234 miles back up north.

Teams:

Portsmouth: Knight, Robinson, Simpson, McLoughlin, Whitbread, Awford, Miglioranzi, Peron, Claridge,Durnin (Thogersen, 72 ) , Igoe
Subs not used: Nightingale,Tardif,

Barnsley: Bullock, Eaden, De Zeeuw, Richardson ( Blackmore, 84 ) , Moses, Appleby, van der Laan (Bullock, 57 ) , Hignett, Sheron, Dyer, Jones
Subs not used: Hristov,

Last Six Barnsley v Portsmouth results:

2/2/02 Portsmouth 4-4 Barnsley (Division One)

28/9/01 Barnsley 1-4 Portsmouth (Division One)

6/5/01 Portsmouth 3-0 Barnsley (Division One)

25/11/00 Barnsley 1-0 Portsmouth (Division One)

29/1/00 Portsmouth 3-0 Barnsley (Division One)

28/8/99 Barnsley 6-0 Portsmouth (Division One)

Overall Record:

Barnsley Wins: 16

Portsmouth Wins: 19

Draws: 12

Barnsley Goals: 58

Portsmouth Goals: 66

At Oakwell:

Barnsley Wins: 11

Portsmouth Wins: 7

Draws: 6

Barnsley Goals: 36

Portsmouth Goals: 28

This Season:

Not set of supporters has probably been through the mill in the last 12 months than Portsmouth’s. The 2008 FA Cup winners and 2010 finalists became the first Premier League club to go into administration last season and they finished bottom of the table to end their seven year stay in the top flight. All the uncertainty over the club’s future during the summer clearly affected what players new manager Steve Cotterill had left and they made a shocking start to life back in the Championship, failing to win any of their first seven games. Amazingly they crushed Leicester 6-1 in their eighth game which led to a complete turnaround. That win over the Foxes started a run of seven wins in eight games to lift Pompey from the foot of the table to 10^th.

Pompey are currently on a run of three games without a win however, losing two of them.

Barnsley secured back to back wins for the first time this season when defeating Ipswich 3-1 at Portman Road last weekend. That success coupled with the 2-1 win at Preston four days earlier gave them their first away wins since February. If they make it three wins on the bounce tomorrow it will be the first time they have achieved this feat since October last year when they defeated West Brom, Ipswich and Doncaster in a row.

Last six 2010-2011 results:

Barnsley:

13/11/10 Ipswich 1-3 Barnsley (Championship)

9/11/10 Preston 1-2 Barnsley (Championship)

6/11/10 Barnsley 0-2 Leicester (Championship)

30/10/10 Barnsley 1-1 Hull (Championship)

23/10/10 Coventry 3-0 Barnsley (Championship

19/10/10 Burnley 3-0 Barnsley (Championship)

W: 2 D: 1 L: 3 F: 6 A: 11 GD: -5 Points: 7

Portsmouth:

13/11/10 Portsmouth 2-3 Doncaster (Championship)

9/11/10 Portsmouth 1-1 QPR (Championship)