Paul Heckingbottom admits derby victory at Sheffield United tomorrow would mean even more than Barnsley's first win of the season over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
The Reds visit their near neighbours for an early 12.15pm kick-off hoping for their first away success of the season. Heckingbottom said: "We have a few boys who were here last year and experienced the derby games and they loved them. It is still just a game of football but it is different and it feels different if you get the win you are craving.
"They are good occasions and it's the first one of this season. We loved the derbies last season whether it was Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds or Hudderfield Town."We will love them again this season because they are great games for the fans and players and they are my favourite games."
Chris Wilder's newly-promoted Blades began the season with a 1-0 home win over Brentford but have no points or goals since, with a 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough followed by a 2-0 defeat at Cardiff City. They have three points from as many games, as do the Reds. Heckingbottom said: "They have had a good start and now they will understand how tough this league is. It's unforgiving. You can play brilliantly and not win. They have got a lot of players who have played at this level."
Barnsley have only lost three of their last 15 games at Bramall Lane since 1988, while they are unbeaten in their last four trips there. They have not conceded a goal there in the last two meetings, both in League One, with Sam Winnall netting in a 1-0 win in November 2014 before the Reds picked up a point for a goalless draw on the way to promotion in April last year.
In-form winger Ryan Hedges said: "A couple of the lads and the staff have bigged it up because it's a derby. It's going to be a big one for the fans and hopefully we can get the right result and put on a performance for them. This will be the biggest derby I have played in. We're all looking forward to the game. The three points on Tuesday have given us the confidence boost we needed and hopefully we can build on that now."
