Barnsley FC's James Norwood relishing some proper punch-ups with heavyweights on the card

Joey Barton's Pirates showed the Reds plenty of respect on Saturday and held the visitors to a 0-0 draw.

But the next five matches are against heavyweights. After Pompey on Tuesday come Plymouth Argyle, Wycombe Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town.

Having played for the Tractor Boys, 32-year-old striker Norwood knows even though Barnsley are above three of those sides, the pressure will not be on them.

"Teams with bigger budgets make big signings that put them under a lot more pressure than smaller clubs doing well," he argues.

"What this club has got is great young talent. They haven’t spent millions on players so for us it's about having a good group, good manager, good staff and a good togetherness.

"For us I don't think there's any pressure as such whilst the Derbys, Ipswiches, Sheffield Wednesdays are expected to be at the top of the division and to win games.

"If our lads were five or 10 years older they'd all have a name within football, some would have played in the Premier League and Championship. But they are young, energetic and bring a lot to the table."

Norwood expects five more open games than at the Memorial Ground.

"There's no reason when we're playing a top-five team they won't be comfortable to come at us," he says. "They're there for a reason – they've won games playing attacking football.

"We're getting towards the time of the season where teams have to win so it's not in their interests to sit back and defend because we can hurt people if they do that.

"The next four or five games will be a boxing match.

"It's getting to the point where the teams in seventh and eighth need to win to catch the group ahead. For us it's just about playing our game, staying consistent and using our attributes to our favour."

Norwood twice missed promotion from League One at Portman Road and says it drives him on, whilst more positive experiences from manager Michael Duff and others also help.

"The gaffer's got six promotions as a player and as a manager," he points out. "There's a couple of lads here with promotions who understand you don't get ahead of yourself at this time of the season.

"Crunch time is fast approaching but you treat it as though it's the fifth or sixth game of the season. It's just another game and the gaffer's very good at drilling into us that all we have to look at is the next half.

"I lost a play-off final and missed out on the play-offs on the last day of the season. Things like that make you more driven.

"It's about helping the lads focus if they are feeling the pressure and letting them know it isn't such a big deal. If you do your job more often than not we'll win the game."

Luca Connell returns after illness for Barnsley. This is their game in hand on Wycombe, one place but six points behind in seventh.

Last six games: Barnsley DWWWWD; Portsmouth WWWDWL

Referee: M Edwards (Tyne and Wear)

Last time: Barnsley 1 Portsmouth 1, December 15, 2018, League One