BARNSLEY will look to continue their unbeaten start at home this season when they host Reading from 3pm.

The Reds are sixth after taking 13 points from six games.

They have not played for two weeks since a 3-1 home win over Huddersfield Town, extending their unbeaten start at home to five games in all competitions with four wins and a draw.

Reading – who finished seventh last year and are now under new ownership – are 20th with five points from six games. They lost their first three league games of the season to Lincoln, Huddersfield and AFC Wimbledon then drew at Bolton and Wycombe. They secured their first win of the league season before the international break, with a 1-0 success at home to lowly Port Vale. Hourihane told the Chronicle: “They are a really energetic side. They play with wide men, they are a good footballing side. They can cause you trouble. I don’t think they’ve got the points total they fully deserve. We’re aware of them and ready for them.

“They got a decent draw against Wycombe and against Bolton, we know they can cause problems away.

“The approach doesn’t change.

“We will be relentless in our approach and mindset. We need to be ready for the challenge ahead.”

He added: “Noel Hunt, my fellow countryman, did a really good job last year. They were in the play-off hunt.

“They have had a slower start than they would have liked but they can hurt you on their day. They had a lot of turmoil over the last period but they are over it now which is great.”

Reading have not lost at Oakwell since a 3-0 League Cup defeat in September 1998. The next 12 visits have brought five wins and seven draws, including the last six.

There were four consecutive 1-1 draws then the last two have been 2-2.

Barnsley’s last five wins over Reading have all been away from home, including a 4-2 success on the final day of last season with a goal each by Stephen Humphrys and Jon Russell and a Davis Keillor-Dunn double.

Reds players Tennai Watson and Caylan Vickers both came through the Reading youth system. Watson made nine appearances but never started a league game before leaving in 2021.

Vickers played 22 Reading games as a teenager in the 2022/23 season, scoring three times, before being signed by Brighton who have loaned him to the Reds for this season.

Barnsley have had two weeks without a game, following a busy opening month of the season in which they won four, drew one and lost one in the league while winning two EFL Cup ties with the transfer window open.

After some time off, Hourihane has had an opportunity to work with his squad – minus the four midfielders on international duty – on the training pitch. Hourihane said: “There have been people away on international duty so it’s been hard in terms of numbers but now they’re back. Heading into Friday and next week with no midweek game it’s a good period to get a lot of work on the training ground to fine-tune things we maybe couldn’t do before because of the amount of games. We have to make the most of this opportunity for the next seven to nine days before Blackpool (September 20) to really make us stronger heading into the next period where the midweek games come back into it again.”