A more detailed look at today's 3pm game.
LIKELY LINE-UPS
Barnsley: Goodman; Watson, O’Connell, Shepherd, Ogbeta, Bland, Phillips, Yoganathan, Kelly, Cleary, Keillor-Dunn
Blackpool: Peacock-Farrell; Lyons, Casey, Ashworth; Imray, Morgan, Brown, Honeyman, Hamilton; Bloxham, Fletcher.
TEAM NEWS
Barnsley: Suspended: Luca Connell. Out injured: Josh Earl (foot). Blackpool: Injured: Michael Ihiekwe, Fraser Horsfall, Hayden Coulson, Dale Taylor. Suspended: James Husband.
REFEREE
Andrew Humphries
The official has only taken charge of eight League One games so far in his career but two of them have been Barnsley matches.
He oversaw the 1-1 home draw with Peterborough United in April then the 2-2 Yorkshire derby at Bradford City in October.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Amos Wynn, Blackpool Gazette
It’s been a pretty disappointing season on the whole for Blackpool. At the beginning of the season, the target would’ve been to compete at the top end, and instead they have found themselves near the bottom.
There has been more structure since Ian Evatt’s appointment in October, and that was evident throughout a five-game unbeaten run last month. The Seasiders have the potential to be really good, but blips have been frequent. A controversial red card on New Year's Day has knocked them again, so they will be determined to rediscover their good form from December.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Reds 0, Tangerines 3 – March 8, 2025
The game that led to Conor Hourihane being appointed as Barnsley head coach. The visitors missed first half chances but scored three times between 56 and 73 minutes.
Sonny Carey netted twice with the other scorer being Ashley Fletcher who did not celebrate against his former club.
Darrell Clarke was sacked days later and replaced by his first team coach Hourihane.
Reds 1, Tangerines 3 – December 26, 2011
Matt Phillips netted a hat-trick for the visitors. After Matty Done put the Reds in front, Phillips levelled then scored from 30 yards before converting a penalty after Scott Wiseman fouled Stephen Crainey.
Reds 2, Tangerines 1 – January 5, 2008
The FA Cup run which would see Barnsley beat Liverpool and Chelsea then play in a Wembley semi-final almost ended in the first game. Barnsley trailed 1-0 in the third round until the 79th minute to a goal by their future player David Fox. But Stephen Foster levelled then, two minutes later, teenage substitute Michael Coulson got the winner.
Reds 1, Tangerines 0 – November 27, 2004
Jacob Burns’ sensational 25-yard strike in the 14th minute settled this game between two sides struggling in the lower reaches of the third tier.
Reds 1, Tangerines 2 – August 12, 2003
Barnsley were knocked out of the League Cup by two goals in the first 22 minutes from Scott Taylor. Dean Gorre replied in the second half.
KEY PLAYER
Ashley Fletcher
This game will feature two of the top-scorers in the third tier in Davis Keillor-Dunn and Ashley Fletcher.
The former Barnsley striker has 16 goals in all competitions – one more than Keillor-Dunn – with 14 in the last 17.
He has ten goals and four assists in the league as well as six cup goals. Fletcher joined Barnsley a decade ago last week from Manchester United and, as a team-mate of Conor Hourihane, helped them to promotion – scoring in the play-off final at Wembley.
He is now 30 years old and on his tenth club in Blackpool.
After reaching double figures for Middlesbrough in the 2019/20 season, he had only netted four times in 70 league games across four seasons for Boro, Watford, New York Red Bulls, Wigan and Sheffield Wednesday.
He dropped down to the third tier with Blackpool last season and scored 11 goals before easily eclipsing that tally this season. If he plays at Oakwell, he will have played against Barnsley as many times as any other club – having netted twice in eight previous meetings. He could come up against former Reds team-mate Marc Roberts in the Barnsley defence.
