THE CHALKBOARD
LEE Johnson will be left with a quandary at the weekend.
With the second leg of their Johnstone’s Paint Trophy area final on the near horizon, which is finely balanced as they head into the second leg with Fleetwood tied 1-1, the Barnsley manager needs to decide if the league or a place at Wembley is more important to him.
The Tykes have enjoyed an upturn in form of late, with five wins on the bounce for the South Yorkshire club, including a 6-1 drubbing of Rochdale at home.
Unlike many sides this term, they will not be a team looking to come down and put men behind the ball and soak up pressure, having only kept two clean sheets in their last 23 outings. Although those came in the last three games, it is not in their arsenal.
Instead, they will attack with pace down the wings and look to undo Swindon with their 'big man, little man' combo of Sam Winnall and on-loan Manchester United striker Ashley Fletcher.
LIKELY LINE-UP
A MAN IN FORM: SAM WINNALL
STRIKER Sam Winnall has proven to be a real handful for League One defences in the last few weeks.
The 25-year-old has netted eight in his last five league appearances, with a hat-trick against Rochdale and braces against Blackpool and Shrewsbury to his name.
Lee Johnson has been working closely with the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth product in recent weeks and it appears to be paying dividends.
Johnson has tried to get Winnall into the right areas of the pitch, rather than hunting for the ball, and he has proven to be one of the best in the league when given the chance in the area.
He has formed a good relationship with on-loan forward Ashley Fletcher, with the tall 20-year-old a perfect foil for the nimble Winnall.
Sam Winnall
TREATMENT ROOM
ALFIE Mawson will be a familiar name for Swindon Town fans, with the central defender a summer target for chairman Lee Power, only for the 22-year-old to pick Oakwell instead of the County Ground after departing Wycombe Wanderers.
However, the young centre-back may be avoiding Wiltshire again after he hobbled off with a groin injury in Tuesday’s 1-0 win away to Bradford City and is now a doubt for tomorrow’s fixture.
Another big loss for Barnsley is their midfield engine Adam Hammill.
The 28-year-old limped off during the Tykes’ 6-1 win over Rochdale on Saturday and missed the trip to Bradford City, with Hammill undergoing further tests to work out the extent of the damage done and the length of time he will be absent for.
Adam Hammill
OPPO FORM GUIDE
- Sat, Jan 2
SKYBET LEAGUE 1
2-1 WIN V MILLWALL (H)
- Sat, Jan 9
JPT AREA FINAL L1
1-1 DRAW V FLEETWOOD (H)
- Sat, Jan 16
SKYBET LEAGUE 1
3-0 WIN V SHREWSBURY (A)
- Sat, Jan 23
SKYBET LEAGUE 1
6-1 WIN V ROCHDALE (H)
- Tue, Jan 26
SKYBET LEAGUE 1
1-0 WIN V BRADFORD (A)
GOALSCORERS
SAM WINALL: 15
CONOR HOURIHANE: 7
MARLEY WATKINS: 7
DISCIPLINE
KEVIN LONG: 2Y, 1R
MARLEY WATKINS: 8Y
JOSH SCOWEN: 7Y
THE STAT
Striker Michael Smith has made a combined 17 appearances for Swindon and Barnsley this season but has failed to find the net for either team.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here