Barnsley v Doncaster Preview

Barnsley head to local rivals Doncaster Rovers knowing three points are vital if they are to have any chance of avoiding the drop this season.  

Three points are a must for the reds as they travel to near rivals and fellow strugglers Donny for this South Yorkshire derby.

The reds will be reinforced with the return of Frimpong from suspension and Hassell from injury.

However Mellis serves the second match of a three match suspension following his sending off at Sheffield Wednesday.

Hunt is a doubt with an ankle problem but should be fit enough to play and hopefully last 90 minutes for the first time since his move to Oakwell.

Barnsley and Donny is usually a feisty encounter and I expect this one to be just that especially with how high the stakes are for both clubs.

So what will be the team selection of Danny Wilson? Should be bring Frimpong back in to the team in a derby that is notorious with sending’s off?

The goalkeeper and back four picks itself assuming that Hunt is deemed fit enough. Steele will start in goal with Hunt at right back and Kennedy at left back while Cranie and Ramage will continue their ever improving partnership at centre back.

The strikers also pick themselves with O’Grady and Proschwitz almost certain to get the nod.

The midfield area is a tricky one and there is lots of competition for Wilson to ponder in this area. I think that he will bring Frimpong back in and I also think that he will play Cywka from the off and bring in Woods for his first start against his old club.

I’m hoping to predict the right starting eleven for the third week on the bounce, something I’ve never managed, so I think Jennings will start on the right, Cywka on the left with Frimpong and Woods in the middle.

This would mean that Dawson, O’Brien and Shea would all lose their places from the Ipswich game.

For me Shea has been a disappointment since he arrived at Oakwell and needs to be taken out of the team.

As for O’Brien and Dawson, when Frimpong is fit I don’t see the need for their energy in the middle. Frimpong as the holding player can allow for a more creative player in there with him, this would usually be Mellis but I expect Woods to play in his absence.

Whilst Mellis and Frimpong were suspended I think that Dawson and O’Brien were the right call against Ipswich. Wilson has received a lot of criticism from many Barnsley fans for selecting them in that game following their performances against Sheffield Wednesday. But what other option did he really have? We needed legs, energy, work rate and bite in the engine room and if certain fans actually thought about it then they would realise that Wilson made the right choice.

Who would you have in your starting eleven? Any changes from the team that I think Danny Wilson will pick?

With almost everyone now fit enough for selection then Wilson will also have a dilemma with which seven substitutes to select. My guess is Turner, Hassell, Nyatanga, McCourt, O’Brien, Shea, and Pedersen.

Score predictions are welcome, I’m not brave enough to predict one myself.