Barnsley will be looking to continue their history-making start to the season tomorrow with their first win at Coventry City since 1923.
The Reds have won four and drawn three of their seven League One matches so far, putting them third and making this their longest unbeaten start since 1946/47. They now visit the Sky Blues who they have not beaten in an away game in 24 trips across 95 years.
Barnsley won two of their first five matches at Highfield Road – all in the early 1920s – but, since a 3-2 success in 1923, they have drawn seven and lost 17 of their away games against Coventry.
Assistant coach Andreas Winkler is more interested in maintaining the unbeaten start but would also like to end the poor run away to the Sky Blues.
He said: “I know that we haven’t had a win there in 95 years. It doesn’t mean that much to me because 1923 was a long time before I was born. But it would be nice to write a little bit of history and end that run.
“It is more important to me to stay unbeaten. I am looking forward to continuing this record for a long time.“It has made the players more confident in the dressing room, you can feel it in every match.”
Coventry, now managed by former Barnsley boss Mark Robins, have picked up eight points from their seven games so far this season after coming up from League Two. They followed a disappointing 1-0 home loss to Rochdale with a 2-1 success at Oxford United live on Sky Sports on Sunday, which lifted them out of the relegation zone up to 12th.
Conor Chaplin, who Coventry beat Barnsley to the signing of from Portsmouth at the end of the summer transfer window, scored what proved to be the winner from the penalty spot.
Before that game, City were were the joint lowest scorers in the EFL with three goals in their first six matches. Robins then made 11 changes for Wednesday’s Checkatrade Trophy home game against Arsenal under 21s, which they lost 3-0. Winkler said: “They got promoted and they have some good players. They are very strong in set pieces.
“It will be a tough game. We wanted to sign Conor Chaplin here in Barnsley but now he is at Coventry. He was very close to coming to us. We know his skills, he is very pacy and tricky and creative.”
The last meeting between the clubs was a 2-0 Barnsley win at Oakwell on March 1, 2016 with goals from Marc Roberts and Ashley Fletcher. The Reds had been bottom in December after 20 games, with Coventry top, but the Oakwell club caught up a deficit of 21 points on the Sky Blues who missed out on the play-offs which Barnsley won.
Coventry were then relegated to League Two the following season, with Robins taking charge of the final two months while winning the Checkatrade Trophy.
But they returned to the third tier after one season, again winning at Wembley against Exeter City in the play-off final. Robins was in charge of Barnsley for 92 games from September 2009 to May 2011, leading them to 18th and 17th in the Championship before quitting following a dispute with the board.
His next job was with League One Coventry more than a year later but, after winning 17 of 33 games over five months, he moved back to Yorkshire with Championship Huddersfield. He was sacked by the Terriers after 18 months and next club Scunthorpe United after 15.
He has come up against his former club Barnsley eight times since leaving Oakwell. The first reunion was the famous 2-2 final day draw in 2013 at the John Smith’s Stadium which kept both sides up.
He also oversaw a 5-0 win the following season as well as two victories with Scunthorpe but has also been beaten by the Reds on four occasions.
Robins was in charge of four Barnsley games against his current employers, winning two at Oakwell and losing twice at the Ricoh Arena by scorelines of 3-1 and 3-0.
The Reds’ last 12 visits to Coventry have brought just two points, a 1-1 draw at the Ricoh Arena in 2009 after a controversial 94th-minute penalty for handball against Rob Kozluk then a 2-2 draw in 2014 at City’s temporary home of Sixfields in Northampton with Conor Hourihane and Leroy Lita scoring first half equalisers.
Reds centre-back Adam Jackson spent a month on loan to Coventry from Middlesbrough in late 2015 but never made an appearance when he was yet to play a senior game.
He left a few weeks before City beat Barnsley 4-3 at the Ricoh Arena thanks to goals from future Reds Adam Armstrong and Ryan Kent as well as England international Joe Cole.
Coventry have not had as settled a team as Barnsley this season, with only three players starting all seven games compared to seven Reds.
