BARNSLEY head coach Conor Hourihane says that a rare midweek break in his side's crammed schedule next week will come into his thinking in his team selection for Saturday's League One derby at Huddersfield Town.

Playing catch-up on the fixtures front, the Reds have played Tuesday night games in three of the past four weeks - while a game at Stevenage was called off at late notice - and face another three Tuesday games before the March international break.

But next week, they have a normal working week with no fixture.

Amid Barnsley's hectic itinerary, Hourihane has rotated some players, but his thought process will change ahead of this weekend's derby, mindful of a free midweek next week.

Barnsley chief Conor Hourihane. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

placeholder image — Barnsley chief Conor Hourihane. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

"I think it's finding the balance of it, really, he said.

"I think one thing that we've got in our favour this week that probably doesn't happen to us very regularly is that we don't have a Tuesday game to think about.

"So team selection for Saturday may have been influenced a little bit if we had another game on Tuesday and then think: 'oh, he's struggling a little bit, we might have to keep him fresh for Tuesday or whatever'.

"We don't have that this weekend, which is a positive. So lads who are may be going into games with lack of a little bit of energy or a little bit of carrying something, (it’s) can we put a big performance in before a couple of days where we'll just be on the grass and we can manage the knocks then through the week.

Barnsley loan signing Tawanda Chirewa, pictured during his loan spell at Huddersfield Town last term. He will miss Saturday's Town return through injury. Photo: Tony Johnson.

"It's a Yorkshire derby and there's going to be a good atmosphere and a good away following.

"So regardless of any kind of lack of energy or any knocks, we need to see past that now and we need to get ready for a really good game on Saturday." Hourihane, who will again be without loan winger Tawanda Chirewa (ankle) - the Wolves man had a stint at Town last term - has challenged his side to come quicker out of the blocks in their latest away trip to a top-six side, having been undone in earlier games this winter at Bolton Wanderers and Cardiff City during the first half.

He added: "It (Huddersfield) is a tough test. They're at home and no doubt they'll try and come out of the blocks and put their last couple of results right. I think from our point of view, concentrating on us right now is really important.

"My biggest thing that I want to see out of the game on Saturday is that the last couple of times we've gone to a top-six club, we've kind of not performed.

"We performed well in the second half against Bolton, but that was when the game was kind of gone and we had nothing to lose.

"We've gone to Cardiff and struggled, if we're being honest.

"We went to Bolton and struggled in the first half. I really want to see a better performance against a top-six side come Saturday.

"I definitely think from our point of view now, it is a mindset game. It is a game that we have to go in with a lot of intensity and energy and meet their physicality. And then can we be ourselves and be good on the ball then as well?.