Preview: Hartlepool United v Barnsley

By Albatross
March 17 2006

Hartlepool United face Barnsley at Victoria Park with both sides looking to bounce back from recent defeats. Can Pools claim three points to ease relegation fears?

Barnsley are currently in a playoff place, but the good news for Pools is that it's on the back of their home record that's seen them defeated just once at Oakwell. Away from home they're average, having won five and lost eight on their travels.

Recent games have seen them fail to win in their last three attempts - two draws followed last weekend by defeat at Brentford. Goalscoring hasn't been a problem at home, but away they average one a game. In terms of hotshots, former Scunny striker Paul Hayes has grabbed 11 (no less than five in the FA Cup), a total also matched by Marc Richards; meanwhile former Pools loanee Chris Shuker will be hoping to reach double figures for the season by netting at the Vic. Meanwhile former Leicester forward Tommy Wright - who scored against Pools while on loan at Blackpool earlier this season - netted his first goal for the Tykes last week.

Neither side is reporting new injuries, so the question for Pools is whether Stepho will decide to make changes after the midweek defeat against Scunny. Porter probably will have to settle for a place on the bench again, but it's the midfield that's the more likely to see changes: with the likes of Matty RObson, Mark Tinkler, Tony Sweeney and Darrell Clarke angling for a recall there are certainly options for the caretaker boss.

Our home form has been showing a big improvement of late, and last week's victory over Huddersfield showed that there's no reason to fear the sides at the top end of the table. Barnsley have upset the applecart for us once or twice in recent seasons, but I fancy Pools to take this 1-0 thanks to another goal from Adam Boyd.