Team News
Barnsley boss Keith Hill could be forced to put two teenagers on the bench for the final game of 2011 tomorrow as his injury hit squad gear up for a Yorkshire derby double header. 17 year old John Stones and 16 year old Paul Digby are set to be named among the substitutes as Hill runs out of options. Danny Drinkwater and Nile Ranger were already missing- with Ranger having seen his loan from Newcastle cut short by a twisted ankle, and they have been joined on the sidelines this week by Jim O’Brien, who has a stomach muscle strain. Striker Andy Gray replaced O’Brien against Blackpool on Boxing Day but Danny Haynes is the most likely starter if O’Brien misses out as Haynes can play on the wing as well as upfront. Midfielder Miles Addison will also be missing for Monday’s showdown with Doncaster Rovers as tomorrow is the last game of his initial loan spell from Derby County.
Likely Line-Up:
Luke Steele
Jay McEveley
Scott Wiseman
Rob Edwards
Jim McNulty
Danny Haynes
David Perkins
Jacob Butterfield
Ricardo Vaz Te
Matty Done
Craig Davies
Head To Head
Last Six Barnsley v Leeds Results:
26/11/11 Leeds 1-2 Barnsley (Championship)
22/2/11 Leeds 3-3 Barnsley (Championship)
14/9/10 Barnsley 5-2 Leeds (Championship)
2/12/06 Leeds 2-2 Barnsley (Championship)
4/11/06 Barnsley 3-2 Leeds (Championship)
6/1/01 Leeds 1-0 Barnsley (FA Cup)
Overall Record:
Barnsley Wins: 17
Leeds Wins: 20
Draws: 16
Barnsley Goals: 71
Leeds Goals: 84
At Oakwell:
Barnsley Wins: 11
Leeds Wins: 7
Draws: 8
Barnsley Goals: 42
Leeds Goals: 34
This Season
Last six 2011-2012 results:
Barnsley:
26/12/11 Barnsley 1–3 Blackpool (Championship)
17/12/11 West Ham 1-0 Barnsley (Championship)
10/12/11 Barnsley 3–5 Ipswich (Championship)
6/12/11 Barnsley 2–1 Crystal Palace (Championship)
3/12/11 Peterborough 3–4 Barnsley (Championship)
26/11/11 Leeds 1–2 Barnsley (Championship)
W: 3 D: 0 L: 3 F: 12 A: 14 GD: -2 Points: 9
Leeds:
26/12/11 Derby 1–0 Leeds (Championship)
17/12/11 Leeds 0-1 Reading (Championship)
10/12/11 Watford 1-1 Leeds (Championship)
3/12/11 Leeds 2-0 Millwall (Championship)
29/11/11 Nottingham Forest 0-4 Leeds (Championship)
26/11/11 Leeds 1-2 Barnsley (Championship)
W: 2 D: 1 L: 3 F: 8 A: 5 GD: 3 Points: 7
Interesting Stats
This is the second time Barnsley and Leeds have met in the last six games. The Reds ended a 21 year winless run at Elland Road on the 26th November when goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and Craig Davies sealed a 2-1 victory.
That win extended Barnsley’s unbeaten run against their rivals from West Yorkshire to five matches. The last time Leeds registered a victory against Barnsley came in an FA Cup tie in 2001 when Leeds were 13th in the Premier League and Barnsley 15th in what is now the Championship.
That 1-0 victory for Leeds courtesy of an early strike from Mark Viduka is the last time either team kept a clean sheet when these two sides have met. The subsequent five matches have produced 25 goals- an average of five a match!
Barnsley have won their last two home matches against Leeds, and the last time Leeds took all three points from Oakwell came when both sides were in the Premier League and the Whites came from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Last season The Reds stuck five past Leeds. That 5-2 hammering is the only time The Reds have scored that many goals in a game since they returned to the Championship in 2006.
Tomorrow’s encounter will be the 50th time the two sides have met in league combat with both tied on 17 victories apiece.
Both sides go into this game on the back of poor festive results. Leeds have lost their last two matches- 1-0 at home to Reading and 1-0 at Derby, whilst The Reds have followed up four straight wins with three successive defeats.
A third straight defeat for Leeds would be the first time they have suffered such a fate since March 2010 when they were still in League One, whilst a fourth reverse on the bounce for Barnsley would be their first run of this kind since January 2009.
Barnsley have 30 points from 23 matches for the third successive year and just like in 2009-2010 it is enough to see them in 16th position.
Leeds have the best goals for column away from home in the Championship, having scored 21 times from their 12 matches away from Elland Road- three better than the next best, West Ham.
Leeds have won their final match of a calendar year six times in the last 10 years, whilst Barnsley have won just two of theirs, and only won of the last eight. That came in the final match of 2009 when they defeated Middlesbrough 2-1.
Mad Sites
www.leedsunited-mad.co.uk
Official Sites
Other Fixtures
Friday, 30 December 2011
Southampton v Bristol City, 19:45
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Leicester v Portsmouth, 12:15
Millwall v Crystal Palace, 13:00
Birmingham v Blackpool, 15:00
Middlesbrough v Peterborough, 15:00
Nott'm Forest v Cardiff, 15:00