Neil Warnock knows that Leeds need to show a big improvement in tomorrow’s local derby at Barnsley, compared to both our last two away games in the league and our last two matches at this particular venue.
Leeds go into this game knowing that our poor away form is threatening to undermine our push for the play-offs, and that we need to start picking up points away from Elland Road. Since the GFH takeover was confirmed at the end of November we have won all five of the league games we’ve played at home, some of which were against top opposition, and the improved spirit at the club seemed to have sparked a big revival in our fortunes.
But over the same period we have lost three of our four games, and nobody could claim that we deserved to get anything from the poor displays at Derby, Forest and Hull, when we seemed to be completely over-run in midfield. During the Hull game in particular our promotion push seemed to have completely run out of seat, so to make up lost ground we need to get results against the team currently bottom of the division.
But Barnsley has always been a difficult venue for us over the years, possibly because they love to raise their game against us, and since we returned to the Championship have been particularly poor. Terrible defensive displays in the last two years saw us lost 5-2 and then 4-1, and Neil Warnock told the official site today "We need to give the fans something better than last season. The minimum we can give is 100 percent."
The manager will be back in the Leeds dug out after missing Saturday's FA Cup tie with the dreaded virus, and he has stressed that we can’t underestimate Barnsley. "I always think the games against the teams at the bottom of the league are far harder and more difficult. They gave us a lesson for 30 minutes at Elland Road this season, how they didn't score I'll never know. In two or three of the other games I've seen them play they have been really unfortunate with their results. “
Leeds two new midfield recruits are both eligible for this game, with Michael Tonge and Ross Barkley both having signed before the deadline. And that’s just as well, as Austin and Green are two of the players who have been struck down with the dreaded lurgy, and both are struggling to be fit, with Austin the more likely of the two to recover in time. At least we don’t have any new illness or injury problems to worry about.
Barnsley still haven’t found a replacement manager to follow Keith Hill, who was sacked two weeks ago, and they still have David Flitcroft in temporary charge. Flitcroft told ITV today that he wants the job on a permanent basis, so no doubt he will be desperate for a win tomorrow to boost his claim.
He has mixed news on the injury front, as Jacob Mellis may return to the side having missed the last seven games with a leg injury, but his fellow midfielder Paul Digby is out with a muscular problem.
Defender Scott Wiseman is not expected to be included as he is close to joining Blackpool.
This could be a difficult game to predict, but I’m going to forecast that Leeds will scrape a narrow victory.