BARNSLEY will be looking to take seven points from a possible nine this week when they visit second-bottom Fleetwood Town tomorrow.
The Reds will look for a ninth away league win of the season in front of a sold-out away end of 1,131.
The Cod Army are three places and six points adrift of safety after winning six of their 32 league games so far.
They have the worst home record in the division with three wins, three draws and ten losses from 16 games at Highbury, conceding 26 goals. They also have the worst defensive record in the division with 53 goals conceded so far.
They have had three managers this season.
Celtic legend Scott Brown was sacked on September 3 after collecting a point from the first six games, then former Reds boss Lee Johnson lasted until December 30 as, after taking them to within a point of safety, they lost six in a row without scoring.
He was replaced by Charlie Adam, the former Liverpool and Scotland midfielder, who left his role as Burnley’s loans manager to take his first manager’s job.
He lost his first four games, meaning Fleetwood were on a 14-game winless run, with three draws and 11 defeats which meant they sank to last place and were 12 points off safety.
But they beat Port Vale 3-0 and won 2-0 at Bristol Rovers last week then lost 2-1 at Lincoln City on Saturday before netting a 95th-minute leveller to draw 1-1 at home to fellow relegation-battlers Reading on Tuesday.
The fourth-placed Reds beat Leyton Orient 2-1 on Saturday and drew 1-1 at Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday.
Head coach Neill Collins said: “We were looking for nine points this week but we can only get seven now so that’s what we will prepare for. All these games are so tough and difficult.
“Fleetwood are vastly improved under Charlie. They have picked up good wins and clean sheets.
“None of these teams roll over.
“Anyone thinking that we will just turn up and pick up three points needs a reality check.”
Collins and Adam were team-mates for Scotland under 21s while Adam’s assistant Ross Wallace played with the Barnsley boss at Sunderland and Preston North End. Collins said: “I played with Charlie at under 21s level. I have met him since on a few occasions.
“It will be good to see him in the dugout with Ross Wallace my ex team-mate. That will add a bit extra on Saturday.”
Fleetwood almost won at Oakwell in October under Johnson but substitute Corey O’Keeffe netted an 88th-minute leveller for a 2-2 draw.
Junior Quitirna had seen his early goal cancelled out quickly by Devante Cole – the former Fleetwood striker – before netting a stunning free-kick.
That result ended a run of six straight losses for the Cod Army against the Reds. Defender Josh Earl played in that game for Fleetwood before moving to Barnsley earlier this month.
As well as Earl, experienced midfielder Josh Vela and top-scorer Jack Marriott left in January with four youngsters arriving on loan from Premier League clubs including Sheffield United’s Harry Boyes who is from Barnsley.
The two clubs have met 11 times, all in the last decade. Barnsley’s only defeats to Fleetwood were at Oakwell in 2015, while their five trips to Highbury brought a 0-0 draw then four straight wins. They won 1-0 there last season with Jack Aitchison netting in the 90th minute.
