Matty Pearson will have plenty of friends and family in Oakwell's away end tomorrow but is hoping to 'get one over on them' by helping Barnsley secure a win against Leeds United.
The 24-year-old defender is from Keighley in West Yorkshire, where most of the people he knows support Leeds. He said: "I don't really support any team but I would say 75 per cent of my mates and family are Leeds fans. I would love to get one over on all of them. There will be a lot of people I know in the Leeds end. I want to win and not let them have the final say.
"I know the rivalries in and around Yorkshire are massive. Maybe there are a couple of lads in our team who don't quite understand that and you have to hammer it home for them. I would say the Sunderland game (a 3-0 win in August) is the best result we have had so far but beating Leeds would probably top that.
"It's one of those games that you are itching to be a part of. You want to get out there, soak up the atmosphere and do the best you can."
Pearson is 'loving every minute' of his time in the Championship with Barnsley, having failed to break through at Blackburn Rovers and Rochdale before dropping down to the Conference North with Halifax Town. He worked part-time, fitting garage doors with his father, before returning to the EFL with Accrington Stanley then joining the Reds last summer.
Pearson said: "These are definitely the kind of games I came here to play in. I played against Aston Villa and that was another big one. With Leeds bringing so many fans, it makes the atmosphere unbelievable – especially from the Barnsley fans. It's exciting.
"These are the games you want. All the lads are really up for it. All the players know what they are in for and they are ready for it. We just have to go and do the business."
Pearson started nine out of ten matches at the start of the season, mainly at left-back, but was then left out for five games before returning as a centre-back on Tuesday in the 1-0 loss to Cardiff City due to an injury to Angus MacDonald.
Pearson, one of several summer signings to have spent weeks on the sidelines having played a lot early on, said: "No one wants to be out of the team but it helps us. When we drop out it allows us to see what has gone wrong and see other players in your position and know what you need to do to get back in the team.
"All I can do is focus on myself. I thought I did well on Tuesday apart from the result. It's up to the manager whether he keeps me in the team. The manager hadn't seen me as much as he would have liked to at centre-back so, over the international break, we were going over drills and playing game scenarios with me at centre-back, and that has come in handy. I think I could improve in that role and make it my own.
"I have got to look at Tuesday and think that I did well and that could be an option for me. It's totally different to being a full-back. I can play a variety of positions across the back and I am sure that helps the manager out. I think my versatility is one of my strengths and I will use that to my advantage."
