Barnsley head coach Conor Hourihane expects Mansfield Town to push Reds all the way
Head coach Conor Hourihane feels Barnsley will have to be at their ‘very best’ if they are to bring anything home from Mansfield tomorrow,
The Reds travel to the One Call Stadium knowing they must leave with victory if they are to keep their fading play-off dreams alive.
And Hourihane knows a number of factors, including the playing surface, are going to make things difficult for his inconsistent side.
“Mansfield beat Reading the other night and they are a good side,” he said. “They make it hard for you at their place.
“I was victim to that last year in my first game as interim manager. The pitch will be a factor because it is not a great playing surface, so you have to have a game plan for that in place and not let that catch you out.
“We are fully aware of that and we will go about our business in a certain way that has that involved in the plan.
“They are good at the top end of the pitch. Rhys Oates is dangerous, Will Evans is a real livewire and they have some good midfielders. They are a well balanced side and we will have to be at our very best to get a result.
“It will be a difficult game for us but we are looking forward to it.”
The mid-table Yorkshiremen come into the game in mixed form with 10 points from their last six games.
But they will take encouragement from their last game which saw them hold title-chasing Cardiff to a 1-1 draw.
“It was a really good performance out of possession because we didn’t have long spells on the ball,” added Hourihane.
“We had to be really good against Cardiff without the ball because they wanted to dominate the game.
“Over the last couple of games we have won games in different ways which is really important for us.
“Cardiff was completely different to Exeter the game before and Mansfield will be different to Cardiff. It is about getting the right gameplan in place for whatever team you face.
“Mansfield are going to bring their own challenges. Over the course of the season our away form hasn’t been good enough.
“It is a game that we are going to be fully ready for. We know if we want to do anything this season we have a really important week ahead.”