Bristol City v Barnsley Preview

Posted on | August 21, 2010 | No Comments

It would be fair to say that both of these clubs are still trying to find their feet after the opening games of the season. Great things were expected of Bristol City after a productive summer but following Steve Coppell’s departure just two games into the campaign, it now remains to be seen how the Robins will size up. Barnsley on the other hand are always tipped as relegation favourites and a 4-0 opening day defeat did nothing to dispel those predictions. However, a victory over Crystal Palace in their last outing means the Tykes now have points on the board and just like City, the club’s supporters are unsure of what to expect.

Bristol City’s fans may feel as though they are in limbo and all of that pre-season optimism has now evaporated. In Steve Coppell they had arguably the best manager in the league and when the former Reading supremo brought the likes of David James, Nicky Hunt and Damion Stewart into the club, City looked a genuine force for promotion. However, just two games into the season and Coppell quit – citing personal reasons for his sudden departure. City in turn announced the immediate appointment of Keith Millen, the man who has been associated with the club for many a year and assisted Coppell in his role. While Millen’s loyalty to the club is undoubted, a lack of managerial experience begs the question on whether or not he’ll be up to the job. A 1-1 draw with Doncaster last weekend was a decent start to his reign but with the board targeting promotion, it remains to be seen whether he’ll have what it takes.

Unsurprisingly, Barnsley’s start to the season has been a little more stable. A 4-0 defeat to QPR wasn’t the start that Mark Robins planned and with a 1-0 loss to Rochdale in the Cup following that, there were slight worries amongst the Oakwell faithful. However, points were soon to come and a solid display was rewarded with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace last Saturday. While the Tykes now sit in 15th position, the most worrying thing will be their lack of goals. It was an own goal that won them the game last weekend and that means that no Barnsley player has yet hit the net. They lost top scorer Daniel Bogdanovic in the summer and supporters will be praying that Robins didn’t underestimate the Maltese man’s influence.

As for team news, Bristol City will almost certainly be without Nicky Maynard and Kalifa Cisse who are struggling with knee and thigh problems respectively. On the plus side, Louis Carey could be set for a recall after missing the last fixture with a heel problem. Visitors Barnsley just have the two concerns with new signings Jim O’Brien and Gordon Lovre both looking doubtful. O’Brien is still awaiting his debut following a thigh problem while Lovre is almost certainly out after picking up a head injury against Crystal Palace.

There’s no doubting that Bristol City have the stronger squad on paper and while they have not recorded a victory this season, we think this should be a fairly straight forward game for them. Barnsley have an awful record at Ashton Gate and we think that will continue this weekend – 3-1 Bristol City.

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