CONOR Hourihane has warned his Barnsley players that relegated bottom club Shrewsbury Town will pose a tougher test than they might expect.
The Reds play their final home league game of the season from 3pm on Saturday.
They are 12th in League One, with 58 points from 44 games. They have won one of their last ten and only four of 19 since early January. They can still finish anywhere from ninth to 16th.
Over the Easter weekend, they lost 4-3 at Leyton Orient – having been 3-1 up – on Friday then drew 1-1 at home to Peterborough United on Monday.
The Shrews are eight points adrift at the bottom of League One so guaranteed to finish last. They are winless in 15 – losing 11 and drawing four – since a 2-1 win in South Yorkshire at Rotherham United on February 8.
The Shropshire club lost 1-0 at home to Wigan Athletic – which sent them down – on Good Friday then 4-1 at Northampton Town on Monday.
They have scored five goals in their last 13 games and are the only side in the division to have kept fewer clean sheets than Barnsley this season.
Shrewsbury are on their third manager of the season – Michael Appleton who was Oxford boss when Hourihane captained Barnsley to the EFL Trophy win at Wembley in 2016.
He replaced Gareth Ainsworth who moved to League Two Gillingham on March 25 after five months with Shrewsbury, who had sacked Paul Hurst in November.
Hourihane said: “I have made a big message to the players. We want to finish the home form in a good way.
“We’ve done OK in the last two games, but we want to finish on a high.
“I have watched Shrewsbury recently, they are a decent side.
“Just because they are relegated doesn’t mean it will be easy.
“They play good football. The lads need to know that.
“It won’t be an easy win, far from it.”
Barnsley forward Stephen Humphrys played 14 games on loan to Shrewsbury from Fulham in 2017, scoring twice.
Jonathan Bland, who has broken into the Reds team recently, is originally from Shrewsbury.
Town have Harrison Biggins who came through the Oakwell academy.
In October, Barnsley won 2-0 in Shropshire thanks to goals by Jon Russell and Max Watters.
Barnsley have a good record against the Shrews, winning 24 of 47 meetings and losing 13.
The last six meetings have seen the Reds win five and draw 1-1 in Shropshire in February of last year.
The last time the Shrews beat Barnsley was in 2018 when they won 3-1 at home to Daniel Stendel’s side.
Their last win at Oakwell was a 2-1 success in September 2015 when ex-Red Jordan Clark netted a late winner against a Barnsley team which included Hourihane.
After Shrewsbury, the Reds complete their season at Reading on May 3.
