A 7.15PM kick-off on a Friday is rare, as is a league meeting between Barnsley and Rotherham United, with the Reds desperate to make home league wins less of a rarity in tonight’s important South Yorkshire derby.
Having been victorious in just one of 12 league fixtures at Oakwell since February, this feels like a must-win match for the Reds with games to come against Wigan and Reading – who both have excellent records at Oakwell – and title favourites Birmingham City.
While their away form is among the best in the country, they simply need to start winning regularly at home if they are to be anywhere near the play-off places come May.
They are actually unbeaten at Oakwell in the league since the opening day of the season but the last three have been draws, with the most recent game against Charlton a good performance before a late collapse then a home equaliser.
Rotherham have only won once away in the league this season – a 1-0 success on October 1 at lowly Cambridge which is their solitary league victory on the road in more than two years.
Barnsley’s seven-point week at the end of October, with three much-improved performances, gives them more belief and momentum going into this game, while the FA Cup win at Port Vale was another positive performance and result. They appear to be finding a rhythm but need to continue their upward curve over a much longer period of time.
FINISHING COSTING UNITED DURING DIFFICULT START
Rotherham have gained promotion in their last four League One seasons and were expected to compete for it again under Steve Evans, having signed a host of new players early in the summer.
But the 14th-placed Millers have won just four of 14 games so far and are five points behind Barnsley, having played a game more.
They were booed off after losing 3-1 in the FA Cup at home to League Two Cheltenham.
Rotherham are underperforming their xG – expected goals – by the largest margin of any club in the division. Usually that means that a side will turn their fortunes around, so the Reds must hope that does not happen this weekend.
Finishing has been Rotherham’s issue this season. They have had the most shots in the division, with 198, but scored just 14 goals in their 14 games so far.
These two clubs are in the top three in the division for winning headers, and for long balls – so it may not be one for the purists, although the Reds are starting to put together some good moves. Darrell Clarke’s side must make sure they perform consistently well throughout the game and, if the Millers do have spells on top, weather them and not let them extend for too long like in previous matches. If there is to be a late winner, you would have to back the visitors who have conceded just once after 75 minutes all season, the joint fewest in the division, while Barnsley have let in the most in that period with nine.
MILLERS’ AWFUL RECORD AGAINST NEIGHBOURS REDS
March 21, 1969 was the last time Rotherham won a league game at Oakwell.
The Kray Twins had just started a life sentence, Concorde was in its first month of service and John Lennon had married Yoko Ono the previous day.
The Millers then won in the League Cup the following year but, since then, have made 14 visits without victory.
Overall, Barnsley have won the last four meetings and are unbeaten in 11, with eight wins, since 1982.
The clubs are only ten miles away from each other but have only been in the same division four times in the previous 40 seasons so no supporters under the age of 50 will remember them being regular rivals.
Since Barnsley spent most of the 1980s and all of the 1990s in the top two divisions, while Rotherham were in the bottom two, they have spent the last two decades often yoyo-ing between League One and the Championship but usually missing each other.
The last time the Millers visited Oakwell, the Reds got the win which secured a place in the Championship play-offs – a 1-0 victory thanks to Carlton Morris’ controversial early striker.
That 2020/21 season, made more surreal being behind-closed-doors, feels almost like a dream now and the current goal for Barnsley is to avoid a fourth successive third tier season with a return to the Championship.
A win in this fixture could be a crucial step towards achieving that.
