Well Chesterfield are confident of winning today

From their site</p><p align="center"><font size="5">Here Come the Tykes</font></p><p class="articleBody" align="center"><font color="#9a0000">We kick off at 1 pm, don't forget!!</font></p><p class="articleBody">Barnsley have surprised a few this season. Only a year or so after coming to terms with the Ridsdale era they are in a strong position, although next week's Annual Report is expected to show a substantial loss. Stiil they reckon they have it under control at Oakwell - so much so that they've let manager Andy Richie pay £50,000 for Leicester's Tommy Wright. He was on loan at Blackpool earlier, but missed their recent trip to Saltergate through suspension. Some people will do owt to play here! Richie's reported interest in the former Middlesbrough defender Dean Gordon appears to have cooled, but plans are afoot to bring in at least one more new face in the January window.</p><p class="articleBody">Last time out injury forced Barnsley to do without Anthony Kay against Huddersfield but they had a good deputy in Matt Carbon, who was off the pitch being treated for a Booth challenge when the late equaliser went in. Barnsley were pegged back to draw 2-2 after an injury-time equaliser for the lucky Terriers but it proves in a way that the wheel tends to run full circle in football - it is only a few weeks since Rotherham United felt aggrieved about a late equaliser for Barnsley at Oakwell! This is their last match before they play Chelsea in the Cup. . .</p><p class="articleBody">Chesterfield played the better stuff but had to be content with a goal-less draw at Nottingham Forest, extending our run of stalemates to seven on the bounce.</p><p class="articleBody">We reported no new injury setbacks after Forest although Blathers was bandaged up like Frankenstein's monster by the end of the game. He is a resolute individual, though: Jamie will nail the cuts closed and he'll come out for more of the same on Monday! The Chief will hopefully be fit to give us that little bit extra up front. We will of course be without the departed Kevan Hurst, who leaves Chesterfield with our good wishes and goes back to Bramall Lane with our sympathy!</p><p class="articleBody">Barnsley report some &quot;walking wounded&quot; in the wake of the Huddersfield clash but expect them to be ready for the game.</p><p class="articleBody">Our record at our place against them is good: overall, we've won 20 of 33 League meetings, losing only 6. since reacquainting ourselves three seasons ago, we've won one, drawn one and lost one at Saltergate. Last time out we endured an appalling first half and went in 2-0 down, but came back to salvage a point with goals from Folan and Nicholson, in what was Sammy Clingan's last game before Wolves decided their reserves couldn't manage without him. That was exactly a year ago, on the Monday bank holiday following New Year's Day. </p><p class="articleBody">We've normally got our New Year's Eve party out of our systems by January 2^nd: of the 18 games we've played on that day we've won nine and drawn three. Our last three games on this day have been wins, although all three were away games. You have to go back to 1965 and a defeat against Aldershot to find our last defeat on January 2^nd. All in all, then, the tea leaves point to a home win, and an end to that record-breaking curse of seven straight draws!</p><div class="articleBody"><span>SB</span> </div><div class="layout"><p class="termsAndConditions">All materials on this website © Chesterfield Football Club &amp; FL Interactive.</p></div>