Barnsley are hoping to continue their best start to a season in 40 years when they host Luton Town tomorrow with a squad which is badly depleted by injuries and international call-ups.
The Reds have taken 22 points from their first 11 matches, which is the best start since 1978/79 under Allan Clarke. Following a sensational 4-0 win at second-placed Peterborough United on Saturday, they are fourth in the League One table with a game in hand over all the other top ten teams.
A victory over eighth-placed Luton tomorrow in the midday kick-off – which will be shown live on Sky Sports – would take Daniel Stendel’s side into the automatic promotion places before their rivals play at 3pm. They could be without seven-goal top-scorer Kieffer Moore, who limped off at Peterborough with an ankle injury, as well as four other injured senior players while Kenny Dougall and Adam Davies are away on international duty.
If the Reds had had one more international call-up – most likely Wales winger Ryan Hedges who has just returned from injury – they would have been able to cancel the game and the Chronicle understands they would have seriously considered doing so due to the lack of players.
Assistant coach Andreas Winkler said he was ‘pretty confident’ that Moore, who has seven goals in 11 games this season, would be fit to play tomorrow. With former Luton striker Cauley Woodrow also out, but in contention to return the following Saturday at Charlton Athletic, the Reds could be without both of their senior strikers.
Moore was replaced on Saturday by Jacob Brown, 20, who played up front on his own for the first time and scored the fourth goal. The other options are Victor Adeboyejo, also 20, and Mamadou Thiam who has mainly played on the wing this season but has been used up front before.
There are also injuries at left-back with Zeki Fryers several weeks away from a return and Dani Pinillos being due back in training today but unlikely to feature against Luton tomorrow. Ben Williams, 19, is likely to continue at left-back after making an impressive first league appearance of his career when he started at Peterborough. Winger Lloyd Isgrove, who has not started a league game this season, could be back in training next week.
Barnsley will also be without Davies and Dougall who will hope to earn their first caps this week. Midfielder Dougall was drafted in to the Australia squad to visit Kuwait on Monday after Huddersfield Town’s Aaron Mooy pulled out through injury.
Former Luton player Cameron McGeehan could replace Dougall in the Reds team tomorrow. Other options are to give Jared Bird a first league start for the club or move one of Brad Potts, George Moncur or Mike Bahre, who excelled as an attacking midfield three on Saturday, back into central midfield alongside Alex Mowatt. Winkler also hinted at a change of formation from Saturday’s 4-2-3-1.
He said: “We didn’t really expect Kenny to be called up and it changed our thinking for midfield. It will be an interesting decision for the gaffer. There will be a player disappointed not to start but we have to think about what is best for the team.
"We have players who we can bring in or maybe we can change our formation. We have Alex Mowatt who is running 12 kilometres every match. I am sure we can find a good line-up for Saturday.
“Cameron McGeehan has a very good attitude and he used to play for Luton so, I don’t know if he will play, but it will be a special game for him.”
Goalkeeper and captain Davies is in the Wales squad and is expected to be replaced by Jack Walton. Davies was an unused substitute as Wales lost 4-1 at home to Spain last night in a friendly and they now are due to visit the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday for a Nations League fixture.
Barnsley could start as many as five from the under 23s squad if Brown, Adeboyejo and Bird are chosen to join likely starters Walton and Williams.
Winkler said: “We have strength in the squad. It’s really good that we can bring players through from the under 23s who are really on a high level and we trust them to play. Ten weeks ago not everybody could imagine that Ben Williams or Jared Bird could be in the starting 11, but now they are.”
With Barnsley’s club captain being Davies and Moore his deputy – while Dougall is one of the other oldest and most experienced players – Winkler knows other players will have to step into leadership roles. He said: “We will be excited to see who can fit into this role.”
Barnsley have the best goal difference in the EFL with plus 16. The only side in English football who have a better goal difference are Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Only Championship club Middlesbrough have conceded fewer EFL goals than the Reds who have let in just seven in their 11 League One games. The 4-0 win at Peterborough was Barnsley’s first clean sheet in six matches following four in their first four games of the season.
Their 23 goals this season is the third highest total in League One behind Peterborough and Sunderland, who have both played a game more.
Winkler believes the Peterborough game persuaded some of the players to believe more in the management staff’s counter-attack and high press. He said: “It was a very important win. The players were thinking about our style and saying ‘is this the right way to play?’
“They now know that they can beat the highest teams in the league if they stick to this gameplan. We have had to convince the players but that is normal when you are changing something.”
