BARNSLEY’S win over Burton on Saturday was a massive result not just because the Reds showed character to come back from 2-0 down.

But also because, in the context of taking just 30 points from their previous 29 league games there across 18 months, not beating Burton would have heaped on pressure with Bolton, Huddersfield and Reading the next visitors.

But now they can go into Saturday’s fixture against the Wanderers with momentum and confidence, knowing the crowd will be behind them to compete with a far more vocal away end than last Saturday.

Whatever happens, two wins from the first three games of the season is a good platform but, if they were to make it three from three against in theory one of the stronger sides in the division, then the belief would grow infinitely even at this very early stage.

They needed a good start to try to reverse a feeling of decline around the club and they have certainly had that so far with two character-filled wins over Plymouth and Burton.

Inevitably questions remain about the defence, and this will probably be its biggest test so far, but they are reminding us that they have some of the best attacking players in the division on their day allied to a unity and structure instilled by Conor Hourihane this summer. There is a feeling of freshness and positivity around the place.

Bolton lost their opener then beat Plymouth so will look to join the Reds on six points.

April win a good template to follow but heroes no longer starters

It has been just 125 days since Barnsley thrashed Bolton 4-1 at Oakwell.

That was Hourihane’s first win as Reds boss, and part of the reason he got the job on a permanent basis later that week.

Barnsley showed a template of the type of football Hourihane wants his side to play, setting up in a 4-3-3 with a high-energy style and opening up opponents with exciting wing play.

That result all-but finished off Bolton’s realistic chances of promotion.

The Reds will look for something similar this time but both the players who scored two goals in that April match are unlikely to start as Fabio Jalo is recovering from injury while Jon Russell has been on the bench in the first two league games which have been won.

Summer of change for Wanderers

It has been a summer of change for Bolton under Steven Schumacher who is in his first transfer window in the role having taken over from long-serving boss Ian Evatt.

Regular starters George Thomason and Aaron Collins were sold to Wrexham and MK Dons respectively while others have left on free transfers to Championship clubs such as Nathan Baxter and Ricardo Santos.

As of this week, they had brought in 12 new signings – 11 of whom were 25 or younger – as they look to freshen up their squad having followed two play-off defeats by finishing ten points off the top six in eighth last season.

Under Evatt, they had been possession-based, but now have a faster counter-attack approach similar to Barnsley’s so it is not the clash of styles it used to be.

12th meeting of old foes in 3 years

This will be the clubs’ 12th meeting in less than three years since they drew 0-0 in Bolton in a bad-tempered match in October 2022 – including two play-off semi-finals with contrasting results.

Barnsley have won five of those games, including the last three meetings as they did the double over the Trotters last season to end an 18-game wait for a league success in the fixture since they were in the Premiership in 1997/98.

There have been moments like Adam Phillips’ sensational volley in an FA Cup away win, Liam Kitching’s header to send the Reds to Wembley and the 4-1 thrashing in April this year.

But there have also been painful memories like Mads Andersen’s early red card in a 3-0 home loss in 2023, conceding in the 98th minute from a rebounded penalty the next season and the defensive calamities in the second play-off semi-final when they conceded straight from a corner.