Having just about gotten over the line against National League South high-fliers Weston-super-Mare in the FA Cup first round, there was widespread irritation when Bristol Rovers were rewarded with a trip to fellow League One outfit Barnsley in the second round.
The Gas have already travelled to Oakwell twice in 2024 with both games almost carbon copies of each other. Barnsley take the lead, Rovers equalise, have chances to win the game and then go on to lose 2-1. Rovers, admittedly, did have opportunities to equalise late on too in their league defeat in September.
For any club involved in the competition at this stage, the dream is to progress to give themselves an opportunity of being lined up against one of England’s biggest outfits. Last season’s failure to get over the line to secure a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the fourth round still hurts to this day.
Saturday’s hosts have already faced a juggernaut of English football this season, facing Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup which ended in a 7-0 romping, a defeat that prompted some strong words from Rovers favourite and current Barnsley boss Darrell Clarke.
Ironically, the Reds’ FA Cup journey so far has been coming against old teams of Clarke having beaten Port Vale 3-1 away from home in the first round.
In League One, Barnsley are sixth, about where you would expect them to be, but the hope for Rovers will be that because it’s a different competition, it could end up being their day in South Yorkshire.
Bristol Live spoke to the Barnsley Chronicle’s sports editor Doug O’Kane to get the latest insight on all things Barnsley ahead of Saturday’s game…
How would you evaluate Barnsley’s season so far?
Last week I would have said it was a story of steady improvement. They had some really poor performances before the October international break but, after time off was cancelled for a tough fortnight on the training pitch, they were much better and unbeaten in five.
However, they were disappointing in a 1-0 loss to Wigan on Saturday then, despite a far superior performance and dominating the game, had to snatch a late equaliser in another home game with Reading on Tuesday.
They are showing some signs that they could be good enough to finish in the top six for a third successive season but they are also throwing away a lot of points by being unable to put together enough solid 90-minute performances. Home form is a huge issue with just two wins in nine at Oakwell this season in the league and 15 points from 15 games there going back to February – not good enough for the Reds at this level.
What have supporters made of Bristol Rovers legend Darrell Clarke?
Like the season in general, it has been up and down depending on form. I think the majority of fans immediately warmed to his no-nonsense, honest demeanour in the press which was a sharp contrast to the more reserved and ‘toe-the-party-line’ approach of his predecessor Neill Collins who could never win the supporters over on or off the pitch. Clarke’s side is now playing consistently a bit better than last season and the tactics are closer to what we’ve come to expect from Barnsley in recent years in terms of a high-energy, high-pressing side.
The general run of decent results and performances recently, Wigan aside, mean he has a bit of credit in the bank but the home form must improve if he is to become truly popular in the long-term.
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How do you think Clarke will treat the FA Cup? Are changes likely?
He has spoken very warmly about the competition and played a full strength team in the first round against another of his former clubs Port Vale. But that was with no midweek games either side whereas, this time, they have just played on Tuesday then face two of the top three next week as they visit Wrexham on Tuesday before welcoming Birmingham. I think we could see a few changes, to rest certain players who have been playing a lot, but I don’t expect wholesale changes.
Who are some of the key players to look out for?
Captain Luca Connell and top-scorer Adam Phillips have been among the best midfielders in League One for a few seasons now. They have both had ups and downs this season but, on their day, they can run games at this level. Deadline day forward signings Davis Keillor-Dunn and Stephen Humphrys are starting to find some form and are scoring fairly often.
Another one to look out for is Kelechi Nwakali, a Nigerian international midfielder who has played in the top flights in Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal. He has not started in the league yet after not having a pre-season but, from the brief glimpses we have seen, he looks to have an impressive passing range and composure on the ball.