Despite winning three out of their last four matches in League One, Barnsley face a tough test on Tuesday night when John Mousinho’s Portsmouth side travel to Oakwell.
Barnsley are in impressive form, but Portsmouth haven’t lost in their last five games with a recent 3-1 win over promotion-chasing Bolton Wanderers standing out.
Still, with home advantage on their side, Barnsley’s manager, Michael Duff, is looking forward to the clash regardless of Portsmouth’s qualities.
He said: “They’ve picked up under John (Mousinho) recently. You can see his methods starting to creep into the team, they want to play.
“It will be a tough challenge. They’ll still think they have a chance of the play-offs. We’re in the sixth place so if they beat us they get three points closer!”
The Tykes will have ex-Bolton player, Luca Connell, back in contention for this match after he sat out on Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Bristol Rovers.
The defensive midfielder has been a key player for Mr Duff’s men this season.
Portsmouth also have Tom Lowery available for this match under the lights at Oakwell. The ex-Crewe midfielder has been unfortunate with injuries since making his summer switch to Fratton Park.
John Mousinho will hope his players can replicate their performance at Cambridge, where they managed to get a narrow 1-0 win, when they make the long journey up to South Yorkshire.
The win was secured despite Pompey only registering five shots all match at The Abbey.
He said: “We ground out the win – that’s the best way to sum it up. But, these are the important results.”
But they’ll need more than grit and determination to win away in South Yorkshire.
Barnsley have won 10 out of their last 15 matches at Oakwell this campaign with the team’s home stadium a tough place to visit in League One.
Players such as former Ipswich Town striker, James Norwood, have called on the Tykes’ crowd to deliver the same passion they conjured up in a recent win over Derby County.
He said: “They make such a difference, the way they travel in their numbers.
“If they can turn up like that every week until the end of the season, they can put us in a really good position to be able to put teams on the back foot almost immediately after coming out of the tunnel.”
Barnsley v Portsmouth can be watched live on iFollow, with YouTube highlights available on both Barnsley and Portsmouth’s YouTube channels after the game.
