Barnsley will be looking to bounce back from their first league loss of the season and extend their six-month unbeaten home run when they host Burton Albion tomorrow.
The Reds are currently undefeated in eight home matches, four this season and four last season. There have been four draws and four wins in that time. It is the longest such run since the 2007/08 campaign when Simon Davey's side did not lose in 14 consecutive Oakwell fixtures, 12 in the league. Barnsley’s last home defeat was a 2-0 loss to Millwall on March 17.
Head coach Daniel Stendel said: “I am happy with the start of the season and we hope that we will win a lot more games at home.
"But the opposition teams are coming here with so much respect, changing their formation and playing very defensively. It is harder for us to create chances. That is normal when you are a relegated team and you play so good, you will be the favourites. We need to find solutions.
“It’s very important that we have a lot of support from the fans in Oakwell. It’s easy to support the team when we win the first game 4-0, but sometimes we need to be more patient and we still need the support of the fans.”
Barnsley will be looking to preserve their home record after they lost their unbeaten record – following a seven-match run which was the longest at the start of a campaign since 1946 – with a 1-0 defeat at Coventry City.
Stendel said: “It’s been a little bit different in training this week, but not in a negative way. I have noticed the players have concentrated a little bit harder. They all see the chance to play at the weekend, because you change the team more when you lose than when you win. It’s normal that you lose a game but better later than earlier. I could have waited 30 games to lose.
“In training, we have been concentrating back on the basics and what we did well in the first games. We had been letting the other teams have more chances than in the first games of the season.
"We had a Ninja Warrior team-building event (on Wednesday) when we did an obstacle course. We were hanging from ropes in the air like monkeys.“It’s important for the team that we have fun together.”
Despite the defeat, the Reds remain third in the table as fellow high-flyers Sunderland, Walsall and Peterborough United also lost their unbeaten records, with only Portsmouth winning and going top of the league – five points clear of Barnsley.
Sunderland’s defeat was to Burton, who had previously picked up seven points from seven games and are now 14th. Albion have so far picked up just one point in away league matches. They have lost at Gillingham, Bradford City and Oxford United – all teams Barnsley have beaten this season – then drew their last away game 1-1 with Accrington Stanley.
Burton have brought in striker Devante Cole, who scored seven goals in 23 appearances for the Reds on loan from Manchester City in the first half of the 2014/15 season. He was then loaned to MK Dons before moving on permanently to Bradford City, Fleetwood Town then Wigan Athletic who have loaned him to Burton.
The 23-year-old has made just one start, in the Checkatrade Trophy, while coming off the bench twice in league games. He was an unused substitute for the win over Sunderland. Cole – the son of former England striker Andrew – scored for Barnsley in their 5-0 FA Cup win over Burton in 2014.
Albion’s two senior goalkeepers Stephen Bywater and Bradley Collins are both injured so they brought in Bulgarian free agent Dimitar Evtimov last week.
