A preview of today’s 12.30pm kick-off at Bloomfield Road.
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Barnsley (4-3-3): Cooper; Watson, Shepherd, Earl, Ogbeta; Bland, Connell; Vickers, Phillips, McGoldrick; Keillor-Dunn.
Blackpool (4-4-2): Peacock-Farrell; Imray, Casey, Horsfall, Coulson; Banks, Honeyman, Brown, Bowler; Fletcher, Ennis.
TEAM NEWS:
Barnsley: Injured: Georgie Gent (Achilles), Fabio Jalo (knee), Marc Roberts (foot), Patrick Kelly (foot).
Blackpool: Injured: James Husband (hamstring).
OPPOSITION VIEW
Amos Wynn, Blackpool Gazette
There’s no hiding away from just how poor Blackpool have been so far this season.
In defence, they are leaking goals far too easily, while they’ve never really got going in attack – with the two things combined making them far too easy to play against.
There’s a great squad there on paper but it’s just not clicked in the league.
They did play well against Barrow on Tuesday night, and while it was against a League Two side in the EFL Trophy, it would’ve given some players some much-needed confidence.
KEY PLAYER
Niall Ennis
The striker has been linked with Barnsley various times in recent years.
After helping Plymouth to promotion in 2023, he struggled to break into the Championship teams at Blackburn then Stoke.
He scored seven goals on loan to the Tangerines in the second half of last year then, after joining permanently in the summer, has three goals in four games so far this season.
Ennis scored twice against Huddersfield in August but was then sent off after 36 minutes and only returned from a three-game ban on Saturday.
Their other striker options include ex-Red Ashley Fletcher and Northern Ireland international Dale Taylor who has scored against the Reds for Burton and Wycombe in the past.
Midfielder George Honeyman has dropped down from Championship Millwall and impressed so far.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Tangerines 1, Reds 2 – October 19, 2024
The ball bounced in off Marc Roberts’ shoulder in injury-time to secure an epic away win for Darrell Clarke’s side. Davis Keillor-Dunn opened the scoring early with a fine run and finish but Oliver Casey headed in a free-kick to level for Blackpool who were without manager Steve Bruce following the tragic death of his young grandson.
Tangerines 3, Reds 2 – April 20, 2024
Neill Collins’ final game in charge of Barnsley. They were dreadful as the hosts sailed into a 3-0 lead thanks to a long-range strike from Sonny Carey, James Husband’s header from a free-kick and Hayden Coulson just after the break. John McAtee and Adam Phillips replied with Fabio Jalo seeing a goal disallowed which appeared to cross the line and having a penalty appeal turned down. But the fifth-placed Reds had taken nine points from 11 games and Collins was booed by a furious away end whose chants for him to be sacked were acted on by the board the following day with Martin Devaney overseeing a nervy final league game and a play-off loss.
Tangerines 1, Reds 0 – September 13, 2008
A match which looked like it was heading for a dull stalemate was lit up in the 86th-minute by Steve Kabba’s 25-yard strike. Barnsley boss Simon Davey called the goal a ‘world class finish’ and said his side should have had a penalty for a handball in the box.
Tangerines 0, Reds 1 – January 19, 1929
French world champion boxer and World War One flying ace Georges Carpentier was randomly in attendance for this Division Two contest. Teddy Ashton got the winner on 73 minutes. After this game, Barnsley would not win at Blackpool for 74 years. Following four trips in the 1930s, then four more in the 1980s and 1990s, they eventually won 2-1 in 2003 thanks to a Mike Sheron brace.
