Barnsley FC boss Darrell Clarke's squad admission ahead of League One trip to Northampton Town and transfer latest

The Reds have started the new year in fine fettle following successive home wins over Crawley Town and Wrexham, which followed back-to-back away victories against Bolon Wanderers and Peterborough United over the festive period.

The Oakwell outfit’s eye-catching form has seen them rise into fifth place in the table and they are striving to record their ninth success on the road this term - and fourth in a row - at Sixfields this weekend.

Despise one or two ailments among his players - as is often the way at this time of year - Clarke insists that his side are in decent shape, with their numbers boosted last weekend by the return of Marc Roberts, while fellow key defender Josh Earl was welcomed back on New Year’s Day.

Clarke said: "Listen, we are not in a bad place. We got through the Christmas period very, very well, so we’re in a pretty good place when it comes to injuries.

"We’ve had a bit of illness in the camp as have most teams and we are trying to get that out of the camp.

"But other than that, we’re not in a bad shape."

Clarke says that the club are continuing to work hard to boost their numbers in the window, having made an early strike to sign Shamrock Rovers utility player Neil Farrugia.

Meanwhile, Matty Craig’s loan return to Tottenham Hotspur is expected to be confirmed shortly, with the midfielder set to head back out on loan.

Clarke added: "We are working hard to get the positions we are after. The recruitment team and Mladen (Sormaz - sporting director). They are all working hard to do that, we’ve got one over the line and we’ll have to see how the window goes.

"It’s a difficult window, managers up and down the country will be telling you that. It’s ever-moving. We will always talk about the deals when they are done, but there’s a lot of work going on in the background."