Barnsley v West Brom Preview
Posted on | September 29, 2009 | No Comments
Both of these sides are coming off the back of disappointing results at the weekend, with Barnsley being on the end of a 5-2 thumping at QPR while West Brom were beaten 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace. Both sides desperately need points for different reasons, with the Tykes trying to scrap themselves out of the relegation zone while the Baggies are looking to stay in the automatic promotion positions.
There’s no doubt results have improved at Oakwell since Mark Robins took over a few weeks ago. The former Rotherham boss has already made an impression by bringing in four new signings although it’s fair to say that they didn’t exactly gel too quickly on Saturday. Robins gave starting debuts to three new defenders and that seemed to be a huge mistake, with the Reds shipping five goals in a heavy defeat. Goalkeeper David Preece was definitely at fault for at least two of those, but with the club having a goal difference of -11 already it’s clear their main problems are at the back. Their next two fixtures are at home but with the opponents being West Brom and big spending Ipswich, things definitely aren’t going to be easy. On a more positive note, the team has a fourth round Carling Cup clash against Manchester United to look forward to after the draw was made at the weekend.
West Brom on the other hand have had a fantastic start to the season although manager Roberto Di Matteo will be concerned at their last result. The Baggies were clear favourites in a home game against Crystal Palace yet lost that game 1-0, which has allowed Newcastle to overtake them as league leaders. Up until that point the Hawthorns outfit hadn’t lost a game and considering the poor form Palace were in, the result was a shock to the whole league. However, they’re only two points away from top spot and having collected twenty points from their opening nine games, they’ve had a brilliant start to the campaign and you can only imagine their last result was a blip.
As for team news, Barnsley have something of a goalkeeping crisis after David Preece injured his ankle in the last game. With first choice goalkeeper Luke Steele already out, it means the club don’t have an established shot stopper available. This has meant that Southampton man Bartosz Bialkowski is being tracked, although whether an emergency loan deal can be pushed through in time is another matter. West Brom have a few problems with Luke Moore, Joe Mattock, Marek Cech and Jerome Thomas all set to miss out. However, Roberto Di Matteo is hopeful that Chris Brunt will return from a knee problem.
Barnsley may have lost their last game in spectacular fashion but other than that, performances under Mark Robins have been encouraging. West Brom have done well on the road this season but we think they may have to settle for just a point in this one – 1-1.
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