BARNSLEY will look to record back-to-back home wins in the league for the first time this season when they host struggling Crawley Town at 3pm.
The sixth-placed Reds have taken 14 points from their 12 home league games this season, which is the 18th best record in the division.
But they won 2-1 at home to title-chasers Wrexham in their first game of 2025 on Wednesday.
Rob Elliot’s Crawley are 21st with 20 points from 22 games – two points off safety in the highest place in the relegation zone.
The newly-promoted club won their first two games of the league season but then took just a point from their next nine including six successive losses.
They then lost just once in seven, with wins over Lincoln, Rotherham and Charlton. But now have taken a point from four games.
This week they ended a three-game losing run with a remarkable 4-4 draw at Exeter on Sunday – having been 4-1 up at half-time – then saw their match at home to Charlton on Wednesday postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
That means they have not played in six days compared to Barnsley who are preparing for a fourth game in ten.
Barnsley’s head coach Darrell Clarke said: “We are respectful of every game.
“Every team can cause you problems here (at Oakwell).
“We can’t rest on our laurels.
“We’ve won one home game, our form’s been rubbish at home.
“Crawley will have fresh legs after their game got called off.”
Scott Lindsey, the manager who took Crawley up through the play-offs last season, left in September for League Two MK Dons having taken seven points from six games.
He was replaced by former Newcastle and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Elliot who had been Gateshead manager for just under a year.
He led the North East club into the National League play-offs – but they were unable to compete as they did not have a ‘ten-year security of tenure’ on their ground, although they did win the FA Trophy for the first time ever.
Elliot – a former Ireland team-mate of Reds coach Conor Hourihane – has won three, drawn four and lost seven league games in charge.
Barnsley’s Kyran Lofthouse played under Elliot at Gateshead then was part of the MK Dons side thrashed 8-1 by Crawley in the play-offs.
Barnsley striker Max Watters made his name at Crawley, scoring 16 goals in 19 games in 2020 before being sold to Cardiff City for a reported £1million.
The clubs have only met three times before.
Crawley did the double over the Reds in the 2014/15 season – winning 1-0 at Oakwell on the opening day, with Dale Jennings sent off, then 5-1 in Sussex.
Barnsley returned to Crawley in August this season and won 3-0 thanks to a Donovan Pines goal and an Adam Phillips brace – all in the first half.
