Divided loyalties in Reds' relegation fight« Previous « PreviousNext » Next »View GalleryBy Simon MeeksLEWIN Nyatanga hopes tomorrow will be the first and last time his loyalties are split between Barnsley and Derby County.He wants home-town club Derby promoted to the Premiership and Barnsley, his current team, safe in the Championship.He can't influence either campaign tomorrow as they go head to head at Oakwell. Derby have loaned him to Barnsley but insisted he cannot play against them.Nyatanga is ready for some uncomfortable viewing. "I'll clap politely at the goals," he smiled. "Really I have to stay neutral."The 18-year-old was back training with Barnsley today, having returned from international duty with Wales in their Euro qualifyers against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday and San Marino on Wednesday night.The young Welshman is well travelled around the Championship. He had a spell on loan at Sunderland late in 2006, he is at Barnsley until the end of the season.He explained: "The season has not really worked out the way I'd expected. "I have found myself playing for three clubs in the Championship."I have had to deal with it. I started at Derby but maybe I made a couple of mistakes early on, as young players do, and the boss decided to go with experience."Then I went on loan to Sunderland and that was a tremendous experience to play under Roy Keane. "Now I'm at Barnsley, and the key is that I am playing matches."In my first season at Derby we were struggling to stay up so that sort of pressure is nothing new to me."But I believe Barnsley will be okay and stay up. I will do everything to help them do that, everyone here has been very helpful and I've enjoyed it."Nyatanga's absence tomorrow could open the door for Rob Atkinson's return to the first team.Atkinson, who turns 20 next month, impressed during a loan spell at Conference outfit Halifax back in November before being given a chance by manager Simon Davey in the Barnsley set-up during the Christmas period.His last game was the 3-0 home defeat by Colchester on February 10."It would be great to play in the Derby game," he said."They have some of the top players in the Championship and are riding high in the division. "I have held my own in the games I have played so far but that would a good test for myself."Last Updated: 30 March 2007
Sounds like Atkinson will play. Not quite forgive and forget for the sake of the club if that's the case then?
