Barnsley are hoping to delight a huge travelling contingent tomorrow with a victory at off-form promotion rivals Portsmouth which would put them on their longest unbeaten run in 34 years.
The Reds have sold more than 2,000 tickets for the trip to Fratton Park to face a Pompey side who have not won in seven league games since New Year’s Day and have slipped down from first to fourth.
Kenny Jackett’s men are five points behind second-placed Barnsley who are five points off leaders Luton Town and four clear of third-placed Sunderland who have a game in hand.
Assistant coach Dale Tonge said: “It’s a classic six-pointer. We play a lot of the teams in and around us in the league in the next month so we know how big those games will be, but none are bigger than Portsmouth.
“It’s a massive match and puts down a marker. We can put a bigger gap between us and Portsmouth. We’re not looking at getting a point, because we understand there are lot of teams around us. We are going there to win.”
The Reds are currently unbeaten in 13 league games since December 8, with nine wins in that sequence. If the run continues in Portsmouth tomorrow, it will be the club’s best since the 1984/85 season under Bobby Collins.
They were held to a 0-0 home draw against mid-table Burton Albion on Tuesday. Tonge said: “It’s the perfect game after Burton. The boys were frustrated and a little bit down after Tuesday’s game. But Burton were the best team I have seen at Oakwell for the last month and we have to understand that they did their job really well.”
Tonge is looking forward to seeing an away end packed with his fellow Barnsley people. He said: “The fans are buzzing and it’s great to see because we have had hardship at the club with the relegation and other things. It will be a brilliant atmosphere down there.
“It has to give you a lift when you see the fans who have paid their hard-earned money to travel down. We want to put a performance on for them.”
After a win over Wycombe Wanderers and a draw with Burton this week, the Reds extended their unbeaten home run to 21 matches over more than 11 months. Luton do not play until Sunday at home to Coventry so Barnsley could go within two points of top spot tomorrow.
The trip to Portsmouth begins a five-match run in which the Reds face three of the current top six as – after going to Southend on March 2 then hosting Accrington on March 9 – they welcome Sunderland on March 12 before visiting sixth-placed Doncaster three days later.
Head coach Daniel Stendel said: “We missed a little bit of freshness against Burton but we have three days to recover before Portsmouth when I think we will play very well and win this game.
“We are looking forward to the game. Portsmouth also did not win on Tuesday and we have a big chance to increase the gap above them to eight points. Then later we play a home game against Sunderland, so we have a lot of chances to achieve our goal.”
Pompey enjoyed an incredible first four months of the season, winning 20 of 27 games in all competitions with only two defeats. An eight-match winning run left them six points clear at the top and 12 ahead of Barnsley at the 20-game mark.
But they were beaten twice in December then four more times after the turn of the year while they slipped below the Reds during a seven-game winless run in the league, losing three then drawing the last four. They drew 3-3 at Southend United on Saturday having been 3-0 up then were held 1-1 at home on Tuesday to lowly Bristol Rovers who missed a penalty.
While Pompey have the best away record in the division with 32 points, their home record is the worst in the top six with 29.
When the sides drew 1-1 on December 15 at Oakwell, Barnsley had the better of the chances but lacked a clinical edge and visiting goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray produced several good saves. Gareth Evans put the Reds ahead just before the break then Cauley Woodrow levelled in the second half.
Tonge said: “They had an outstanding start but now maybe the games have caught up with them. We were by far the better team when we played them but they did a good job and they are a very professional and organised team. It’s noticeable that, at home, they haven’t got the results they wanted.”
Barnsley lost just one of their first six games in Portsmouth, winning four. But, since 1980, their 19 visits have brought 13 losses, five draws and only one win – a 3-1 success in 1999. Since then, they have lost four times and drawn 4-4 in 2002.
Their most recent visits were defeats by scorelines of 1-0 and 2-0 in 2011. Barnsley loaned winger Lloyd Isgrove to Portsmouth in the January transfer window for the rest of the season. The 26-year-old – who is ineligible to face his parent club – is yet to make an appearance after injury.
