With 13 points from 15, and a solid placing of second at Christmas, City head to Barnsley in a much better place than many imagined a month ago.
However, the games are coming thick and fast, and even with a decent squad, managing those missing players is getting difficult. Adam Jackson, James Collins, Ben House and Oscar Thorn are long-term absentees, although the former is nearing a return,
We certainly won’t see James Collins again this season, and Oscar Thorn is unlikely to be anything other than a bit-part player should he be back before the campaign concludes. Ben House was scheduled to be out for around eight weeks, having last appeared against Port Vale at the end of November, so we’re unlikely to see him much before Valentine’s Day.
Those are the known injuries, but knocks and bumps become a big part of the Christmas schedule, and game-to-game, there are likely to be absences.
One player who is a huge doubt for today is midfielder Tom Bayliss. He’s been a key figure for us this season, sitting alongside Conor McGrandles, but he went off at half-time of our win at Stockport, after taking a heavy challenge and limping through the latter stages of the half. It is believed he is a major worry for today’s fixture, but with every cloud comes a silver lining.
Club record signing Ivan Varfolomeev had a solid 45 minutes after replacing Bayliss, and will be chomping at the bit to get into the starting XI. He’s currently played just one full 90 minutes of football for City, starting and completing the 1-0 defeat against Exeter City, but he has impressed with his energy and work rate whenever he’s got on the field.
He’s expected to start this evening’s fixture at Oakwell, the third time the clubs have met in just 48 days. We have beaten them twice, once at Oakwell in the EFL Trophy and again just before Christmas at the Bank as part of our recent resurgence.
Our two previous league trips to Oakwell have produced 13 goals, with them winning 4-3 last season, and us securing a 5-1 win in 2023/24. A win today could see City climb to the top of the League One table for the start of 2026, although the wrong set of results would see us drop to third.
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