When : Tuesday 26th November 2024, 7.45pm
Where : Oakwell, Grove Street, Barnsley, S71 1ET
Capacity 23,009
Reading’s improving away record (now up to the giddy heights of 11th in the away form table
) gets a second airing in 3 days with exposure at Barnsley for the proverbial winter Tuesday night game that no expensive foreigner is meant to like. Luckily Reading don’t have any of those any more so they might have a chance of further pointage from a thoroughly decent Tykes team.Chances should be improved further being an away midweek league game against a team beginning with B but it should be remembered that Reading have only won 7 midweek away league trips out of 60 attempts in a decade of trying, and such is the appalling away form of the club in recent seasons that has meant Reading have been unable to manage (or even get a crack at) winning two successive away games since beating Birmingham and then Swansea 3 years ago.
Barnsley are in the play off positions (6th) on goal difference from several clubs, one of whom is Reading, so this should be two very equal sides doing battle. The Tykes brought in 8 players in the summer including Conor Hourihane from Derby and Mansfield striker Davis Keillor-Dunn so this will be a hard game. Their form is very decent with 3 wins and only 1 defeat in the last 6 league games, but that defeat was last time out when struggling Wigan claimed 3 points at Oakwell so expect a Barnsley side determined to put that behind them quickly and get back on track.
Forwards Davis Keillor-Dunn, Max Watters and Steve Humphrys have bagged 10 between them so far but top scorer is midfielder Adam Phillips with 5 so there’s a good selection of options that need to be kept quiet. Reckon on them being handy at set pieces too with defender Marc Roberts netting 3 so far.
Reading have added Mbengue (probable injury and a 5 booking suspension being reached) to the list of those unavailable. After the determined effort in the wind and rain at Peterborough it’s going to be a tough all round ask to produce a performance of similar quality so soon again (esp. with a back line that may well have an average age of around 20 years old) but then that’s why football can be so good.
Whatever happens it will be nice to get back to play a league home game next week after this horrible run of 4 successive away trips.
Referee
Zac Kennard-Kettle
Previously
Nothing
History
Reading away from home to play that oft quoted, proverbial game always thrown up when some mercurial foreign talent arrives from some hotter clime, got to be a miserable time to be had by all southern softies surely?
Well no actually, it was like that once but it’s not that bad these days.....
This will be the 39th time league action has occurred between the two teams in South Yorkshire and so far Reading have won 11 of the games compared to Barnsley’s 16. Sadly though fate will now be tempted as the bit Reading have to protect is the fact that, since the move to RG2, the club has made this league trip 11 times and obtained 21 points following 5 wins and 6 draws.
How to follow the game
- Ticket yourself, be brave and travel
- Listen to Radio 5 Live and/or a myriad of other radio stations for score flashes
- Can’t recall if rearranged midweek games get the red button treatment or not
- Ring/text a mate for updates
- Use a RoyalTV subscription
- BBC Radio Berkshire (FM : 104.4, 104.1 or 95.4 depending where you are in the area)
- as ignored the game on Saturday and hoping lightening strikes twice 
