Barnsley Vs Preston North End
Coca-Cola Championship Sunday 28th December 2008
Having pulled no punches on Boxing Day, Alan Irvine will be hoping his side can see off Barnsley in a similar fashion on Sunday. Determined to 2008 on a high, Irvine is expecting nothing less than a win at Oakwell to ensure Preston begin the New Year in the play-off places. A stark contrast from one year ago when Preston were languishing in 23rd place on just 24 points.
Barnsley have won their last two having seen-off Plymouth at home before a superb win against high-flying Burnley on Boxing Day which completed the double over the Clarets. Accordingly, Preston will have to have their wits about them and must not take the 2-1 win over the Tykes in November for granted.
Previous Meetings
As mentioned above, North End have already beaten the Tykes once this season. A 2-1 win at Deepdale back in November was enough for Preston who had to rely on an unlikely source for their winner, namely defender Sean St Ledger.
Last season's trip to Oakwell wasn't a pleasant one for Preston. Still under the guidance of Paul Simpson, North End suffered a 1-0 defeat to Barnsley and squandered the chance to salvage a point with a missed Neil Mellor penalty. The reverse fixture didn't bring any joy either having suffered a 2-1 defeat with former Lilywhites striker Jon Macken rubbing salt into the wound with a 55th minute penalty.
Team News
In order to keep his team fresh, Alan Irvine has hinted at adopted a Rafa Benitez-esque rotation system for the Christmas period. Irvine suggested that first-team players who had not featured regularly recently may get the opportunity to impress. Irvine has planned the build-up to the Friday/Sunday games to make sure his players are in the right condition to handle the extra workload.