BARNSLEY will look to end a five-game winless run and move away from the League One relegation zone when they host Blackpool on Saturday.
The two clubs are both on 29 points – two clear of the relegation zone – but the 17th-placed Reds are ahead on goal difference and have played four fewer games than the Tangerines who are 19th.
Barnsley have not played in the league for more than a fortnight since drawing at Wigan on New Year’s Day. That is the only point they have collected in four league matches, including losses in their two most recent home games to Mansfield Town and Lincoln City.
The Reds have taken just 13 from 14 league games since September.
They lost 4-1 at Liverpool in the FA Cup on Monday evening but have been praised for their performance against the Premier League champions.
Head coach Conor Hourihane told the Chronicle: “We had a huge focus for Liverpool and came out of it proud and energised. We need to use that in the right way in the league, first of all against Blackpool.”
Hourihane has used a back four all season, after several years of back threes at Oakwell, but went to a 5-3-2 formation against Premier League champions Liverpool in the FA Cup – praising the defensive display.
Asked if he would keep that system in the league against Blackpool on Saturday, Hourihane said: “It’s a consideration. How we play will be completely different to Liverpool.
“It’s something we’re going to consider, I am not saying we’re going to do it at the weekend. It will give us a different dimension and we may revert back to it moving forward.”
Veteran manager Steve Bruce – Hourihane’s former boss at Aston Villa – was sacked in October with Blackpool second-bottom.
They had won just two league games all season, including one against Barnsley a fortnight before the sacking.
Bruce was replaced by Ian Evatt who was Bolton Wanderers manager for their play-off semi-finals against Barnsley in 2023 and 2024. He has six wins so far from 12 league games, moving them out of the relegation zone.
After a run of four wins, and four clean sheets, in five to finish 2025, they were stunned 5-1 by bottom club Port Vale on New Year’s Day, after having a man sent off when leading on 45 minutes, and then went down 2-1 at home to high-flying Bradford City.
They also lost 2-1 at Championship Ipswich Town in the FA Cup.
Hourihane said: “They had a difficult start and changed manager.
“They have got going under Ian and had decent results.
“They are in a similar position to us in the table.
“We have games in hand. They certainly have a bigger budget than us.
“They have very good players and a good manager for this level.”
Blackpool’s top-scorer is Ashley Fletcher with 16 goals in all competitions. The striker, who was on loan to Barnsley a decade ago alongside Hourihane, has scored 14 of those goals in his last 17 games.
Hourihane said: “I know Fletch really really well. Top guy. Obviously I played with him quite a while ago.
“He’s found form in the last few months, I know he scores goals at this level and we need to be really aware of him for sure.”
Fletcher netted in Blackpool’s 3-0 win at Oakwell in March which led to the sacking of Darrell Clarke who was replaced by Hourihane.
The match earlier this season saw Jordan Brown net a 98th-minute winner which was the only goal of the game.
Blackpool have won seven of the last eight meetings, with the exception being at Bloomfield Road last season when the ball bounced in off Marc Roberts’ shoulder in injury-time for a 2-1 Reds success.
In total, the clubs have met 111 times, with Barnsley winning 47 and losing 39.
Captain Luca Connell still has two games to serve of his three-match ban for a red card at Wigan.
After hosting Blackpool, the Reds are due to visit Reading a week later then leaders Cardiff City the following Tuesday. Those two long trips are the start of a gruelling schedule of 16 games in eight weeks, with a trip to Port Vale yet to be rearranged.
