Both aiming to end winless runs and climb back up the League One table, Barnsley and Exeter City will do battle at Oakwell on Tuesday.
The hosts have failed to win any of their last five outings, including three under the temporary charge of Conor Hourihane, while their visitors dropped to 17th spot following a defeat at the weekend.
Match preview
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Barnsley return to action at Oakwell on Tuesday in search of a first victory under interim manager Conor Hourihane at the fourth attempt, having all but fallen out of the fight for playoff spots in recent months.
After sitting in the top six on 42 points from the first 25 outings of their third straight League One promotion bid, following the summer appointment of Darrell Clarke, the Reds have experienced a major slump since mid-January.
Clarke would depart in early March, with his last 11 third-tier matches at the helm producing just three wins and 10 points and culminating in a 1-0 loss to Charlton Athletic and a 3-0 home defeat to Blackpool, before Conor Hourihane took temporary charge at Oakwell.
He has been unable to arrest their slump and lead a charge back towards the playoff spots, though, as his first two games ended in a 2-1 defeat to Mansfield Town and a 1-1 draw with strugglers Cambridge United, before they visited Wigan Athletic on Saturday and left with a point from a 1-1 draw.
They led that game through Davis Keillor-Dunn, only to be pegged back by a Maleace Asamoah equaliser 12 minutes from time, and now sitting 11th with an eight-point gap up to sixth spot and just seven games remaining, Barnsley will at least hope to kickstart an improved run to end the season with a victory on Tuesday.
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Their visitors head to Oakwell also aiming to bounce back to winning ways, having slipped back down the bottom half of the table in recent weeks.
Exeter City’s third straight League One season has been a mixed one, as back-to-back victories either side of Christmas left them eighth on 30 points from 21 outings, only to pick up just one more win and seven more points from their next 12 games.
That slump did, at least culminate in consecutive draws, and the Grecians followed those up with 2-0 home victories over Shrewsbury Town and Mansfield Town earlier in March, before taking an unbeaten run to six matches with away draws against Rotherham United and Lincoln City.
Then heading into the weekend in 16th spot with 45 points on the board from 37 matches, Gary Caldwell‘s side hosted promotion-chasing Wrexham and fell to a 17th league defeat of the season, as Oliver Rathbone and Jay Rodriguez netted goals in a 2-0 away win.
Having now dropped back to 17th place, albeit with Peterborough United and Rotherham United only ahead on goal difference, Exeter City will bid to bounce back from the weekend’s defeat and begin climbing back towards the middle of the League One table with a first away win since mid-February.
Team News
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Barnsley continue to contend with an unenviable injury list heading into Tuesday’s contest, with goalkeepers Joe Gauci and Jackson Smith remaining out of action alongside Barry Cotter, Neil Farrugia, Georgie Gent, Josh Earl and Josh Benson.
In the absence of the first and second-choice stoppers, Kieran Flavell will again deputise between the sticks, while Marc Roberts was fit to return to a back three alongside Mael de Gevigney and Conor McCarthy at the weekend.
Luca Connell and Adam Phillips will compete to return to the midfield from the outset, after Kelechi Nwakali and Jon Russell partnered up in the engine room last time out, while Stephen Humphrys and Jonathan Lewis will battle with Max Watters and Fabio Jalo for attacking spots alongside key man Davis Keillor-Dunn.
Exeter City head to Oakwell with several ongoing injury issues of their own, with Jack Fitzwater, Johnly Yfeko, Pierce Sweeney and Yanic Wildschut remaining confined to the treatment room.
Josh Magennis, who leads the squad with 12 goals this season, should again get the nod to lead the line, while Sonny Cox will hope to displace either Pat Jones or Tony Yogane with Demetri Mitchell also likely to miss out after being absent in the weekend’s defeat to Wrexham.
Ed Francis will also hope to return from the outset, after Joel Colwill was preferred alongside fellow loanee Ryan Trevitt in the engine room last time out.
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Flavell; De Gevigney, Roberts, McCarthy; Bland, Russell, Connell, O’Keefe; Phillips; Humphrys, Keillor-Dunn
Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Whitworth; Turns, MacDonald, Hartridge; McMillan, Trevitt, Francis, Purrington; Watts, Magennis, Cox
We say: Barnsley 2-1 Exeter City
Barnsley are certainly devoid of confidence having seen their playoff hopes fade, but they do have the quality to get past Tuesday’s visitors and we back the Reds to record a first victory under Hourihane at Oakwell.
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