Wigan test BARNSLEY have lined up a prestigious curtain-raiser to next season with a game against a Premiership team. Wigan will play at Oakwell on Tuesday August 1 in a final friendly before the 2006-7 campaign kicks off on Saturday August 5. The match is a spin-off from Barnsley keeper Scott Flinders having a trial with Wigan. "We were talking to them and just asked the question and they've said 'yes'," Barnsley manager Andy Ritchie explained. Meanwhile, Ritchie was today hastily trying to arrange a behind-closed-doors game for his squad this week. Barnsley reserves' game against Oldham, scheduled for Wednesday at Oakwell, has been postponed because Barnsley are hosting England Under-17s v Bulgaria on Thursday in a European Championship qualifier. Barnsley were due to play Chesterfield in a friendly but an injury crisis forced Chesterfield to cry off. Ritchie has refused to be knocked back by Saturday's goalless draw with League One strugglers Bournemouth. Barnsley held on to a play-off place, leading seventh-placed Oldham by a +11 goal difference. Said Ritchie: "We're still up there, we've not lost, we'll still keep going. We've a tough game next week at Huddersfield. There are still points to play for. "The lads are a bit down, we'll try and raise their spirits, be a bit upbeat." He added: "Anybody who puts a little spurt on now might just find themselves in the play-offs. "We're just trying to keep the lads as focused as we can without taking them over the edge and making them too nervous. The dressing room before the game on Saturday was great, really relaxed. It felt as though they felt they were going to win the game. "As it was, they came up against a dogged, determined side who have put their heads on everything and when it mattered the keeper has made two or three great saves." Barnsley's Brian Howard had a goal disallowed - a decision both he and his manager agreed referee Scott Mathieson had got wrong. Howard commented: "The atmosphere among the lads is a mixture really, we know that we've done all right, we know that we deserved to win the game. It wasn't like at Brentford where we knew we deserved to lose." n Reds: P23 27 March 2006 « Previous PageNext »Page 1 of 1 More Barnsley Sport
Probably be part of the deal taking Flinders there for a big bag o nowt Be nice to see De Zeeuw back tho
