CONOR Hourihane says Barnsley will be looking to finish a positive first month of the season on a high at home to Huddersfield Town on Saturday from 3pm.
The Reds are currently sixth in League One with ten points from five games.
They lost 2-0 at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday in the league – their only defeat of the season – then won 2-1 at home to Rotherham United in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
Hourihane told the Chronicle: “A positive result would cap the first month off.
“The players and everyone else is aware of that.
“We’ll try to hit the game head on.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact it’s been a decent start regardless of the result at the weekend.
“But it would really set our stall out nicely if we got a positive result.”
Huddersfield are second with 12 points from their five games.
They had beaten Leyton Orient 3-0, with 2-0 wins over Reading and Doncaster, while they lost at Blackpool with ten men.
On Saturday, they won 1-0 at home to Stevenage – another of the early pacesetters – to record a fourth win and fourth clean sheet in five games.
They won on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Premier League Sunderland on Tuesday in the EFL Cup.
Asked about Huddersfield keeping four clean sheets in five games, Hourihane said: “I wasn’t aware of that stat.
“We’re just focusing on us and the way we want to approach the game with exciting forward play.
“We have players who will score goals and hopefully that will be the case on Saturday.”
Huddersfield looked in contention for an immediate return to the Championship at the halfway point of last season but took just 18 points from 23 games in the second half – the division’s second lowest tally in that time.
Former Barnsley boss Michael Duff was sacked in March and, after caretaker Jon Worthington lost the final six games of the campaign, they finished tenth.
They appointed Lee Grant, the former Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester United goalkeeper, in his first managerial role after a stint as a coach at Ipswich Town.
It will be Barnsley’s first home league game since their 1-1 draw with another promotion favourite Bolton Wanderers.
Hourihane said: “Huddersfield are a really good team.
“I like how they go about their business.
“They will be a different challenge to Bolton who have a lot of pace in wide areas. Huddersfield are more about build-up, dominating the ball, wearing you down. They like to stay in the final third for longer.”
An away crowd of more than 4,000 is expected as Barnsley look to continue their unbeaten home season.
“We’ve won good games at home, with good backing from the fans.
“Huddersfield will bring big numbers, no doubt.
“We want the fans to have a team they can get behind and be proud of.
“We wanted to get the connection with the fans in a good place this season.
“We want to continue that with more positive results at home.”
Former Barnsley midfielder Herbie Kane has started all of the Terriers league matches so far.
Reds midfielder Jon Russell signed from Huddersfield in 2023 and will make his 100th appearance for the club if he plays.
Barnsley have lost their last five games against Huddersfield.
The first four of those defeats were all in West Yorkshire, including the loss that sent them down from the Championship in 2022 then two games in four days last October in the league then EFL Trophy. Huddersfield then travelled to Oakwell in February and came from behind to win 2-1.
Overall, this will be the 82nd meeting of the clubs with Barnsley winning 29 and losing 37.
