by Adam Stubbings

It may be a short trip down the road, but a game away from the Keepmoat might be the best thing for Rovers as they look to arrest an alarming slide since the turn of the year in another big South Yorkshire derby.

Last Saturday's meek 1-0 loss to Sheffield United was a third successive reverse, all at home, and now leaves Rovers on a five game winless run in the league since a 3-0 win at Southend on January 2nd. That run has seen Darren Ferguson's side slip to 17th in the table, their lowest position since the initial recovery run after his arrival began. Hopes of a push for the top 6 have faded and now, with just 16 games to go, Rovers sit six points clear of the relegation zone with work to do.

Rovers have been far better on the road than at home again this season, and haven't suffered an away defeat in the league since late October when Ferguson's reign was in its infancy. That run is under serious threat at Oakwell as Barnsley have seen a remarkable upturn in fortunes of late, winning seven games on the spin to take them from the bottom six to the top ten. That run was ended with defeat at Gillingham last time out, and manager Lee Johnson has now left the club to join Bristol City, but the Tykes will doubtless be a very tough opponent for Rovers.

More good omens for us come from the head to head record, with Rovers now unbeaten in six matches against Barnsley dating back to 2012, with a late 2-1 win courtesy of Richard Chaplow earlier this season one of the highlights of that run. In addition, it is nine wins in fifteen clashes since the turn of the century, and for a time under Dave Penney we truly were the Reds' bogey team, winning five in a row upon our return to League One in 2004.

This derby clash has plenty of heated history, and fans will demand a better showing than in last week's loss to the Blades, one of the most soulless and turgid derby performances in recent memory. You could be forgiven as a neutral for thinking it was a match between two sides at opposite ends of the country, meeting for the first time. A marked improvement against Barnsley is a must, especially if Rovers truly want to avoid being sucked in to a battle for survival.

Andy Butler and Nathan Tyson both returned last weekend but looked less than fully fit, and Conor Grant remains a huge miss for the midfield. James Coppinger may return to feature in a fixture that he has historically performed very well in, whilst Chris Neal should continue in goal despite the return to fitness of Thorsten Stuckmann.