Graeson previews tomorrow night's game against Barnsley at Oakwell.

After a weekend off, the U's get back in to League action on Tuesday evening as they travel to face Barnsley at Oakwell (kick off 7:45pm). The Yorkeshireman are falling down the table after a solid start to the season and will have been boosted by today's FA Cup Fifth Round draw which sees them travel to Anfield in a few weeks time.

The Tykes are currently in 16th place in the table having not won a League game since the beginning of December. Half of their fourteen home games have resulted in victories though, with five draws and two defeats. Away from home, they've won just once, with eight defeats on the road. Oakwell has seen the home side score 24 goals, and concede nineteen, and this miserable run has seen them fall away from the play-off places and they are now, eight points ahead of the U's who have a game in hand - this game already looks a six pointer as surely we cannot allow our hosts to increase the gap any further.

Simon Davey's men last won on the 4th December when Hungarian striker Istvan Ferenczi scored the only goal of the game against Wolves two minutes after the break. Since then though, Palace, Stoke and Southampton left Oakwell with a point each while U's East Anglian rivals Norwich City won 3-1 after coming from a goal behind with a trio of second half goals.

Away from home, it’s not been much better. Sheffield United, who visit Layer Road on Saturday, continued their good recent run with the only goal of the game at Bramall Lane while Bristol City came out on top as they sides shared five goals. On New Years Day, a late Brian Howard penalty saw the Tykes recover from two down to escape from Scunthorpe with a point while QPR's new found riches saw them victors by two goals to nil in Barnsley's last league game.

They are having a bit more luck in the Cup competitions though. In the League Cup, a first round victory over Darlington was rewarded with a trip to Newcastle United where they were beaten 2-0. In the Third Round of the FA Cup they saw off fellow Championship side Blackpool by the odd goal in three at Oakwell, and last Friday night, former U's loanee Jamal Campbell-Ryce scored at his former club Southend United to dump the Shrimpers out at Roots Hall. Barnsley's reward is a trip to Liverpool who saw off Havant & Waterlooville with some difficulty on Saturday afternoon.

These two sides met for the first time this season at Layer Road in August when the U's were rather unfortunate not to record a win in their first home game of the season. United had Dean Gerken sent off for a collision Odejayi on 26 minutes with Brian Howard scoring from the spot. Ten men U's fought back with goals from Teddy Sheringham and Matthew Connolly either side of the break and, when Paul Reid, was dismissed six minutes in to the second half it looked like job done. However, Johnnie Jackson was harshly adjudged to have handballed a shot inside the area (it looked as thought I had hit his back) and Howard dispatched his second penalty of the game past substitute keeper Mark Cousins in his debut for the U's.

United do have a decent record against Barnsley at Oakwell with a win, and two draw from their last five visits to Yorkshire. Last season, of course, the U's recorded a comfortable three goal win thanks to early goals from Karl Duguid and Jamie Cureton, and a stunning late solo goal from Hogan Ephraim. It was United's biggest win at Oakwell.

United's first win at Oakwell came on 27th April 2963 when Benny Fenton's men were victorious with a 3-1 score line thanks to goals from Mike Grice, Bobby Hunt and Billy Stark. United's line-up at day was: George Ramage, Duncan Forbes, John Fowler, Roy McCrohan, Keith Rutter, Edgar Rumney, Mike Grice, Bobby Hunt, Martyn King, Billy Stark, and Peter Wright.

Graeson's Team

After an excellent point at Bristol City, which might have been more but for a strange decision in the last minute not to award a penalty after Kevin Lisbie had been fouled, I really can't see Geraint Williams making significant changes to his starting line-up. Though we would all like to have been involved in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, it has given new Assistant Manager Kit Symons the opportunity to work his new defenders, including recent signings Chris Coyne and Phil Ifil, into a dependable solid outfit that hopefully will start to keep a few clean sheets here and there.

So for me the starting line-up at Oakwell will see Dean Gerken in goal, with Ifil and White the fullbacks and central defensive partnership of Adam Virgo and Chris Coyne. Though Kevin Watson is fit again, I'll stick with a midfield quartet of Yeates, Izzet, Guttridge and Jackson to supply Lisbie and Platt with the chances that, hopefully, they put away.

Graeson's Prediction

Barnsley eyes might well be on the impeding trip to Anfield and they may well take their eye off the ball - no pun intended. Therefore, I think, that with the U's a more solid outfit than in the last few months, they'll take full advantage and bring all three points back to North Essex with a 2-0 win.

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