Barnsley v Chester City: Nyatanga determined to guard against another shock

The Barnsley defender’s last game in the world’s oldest cup competition was a distinctly forgettable one in January, 2012 when he was part of the Bristol City side who were dumped out by League Two leaders Crawley in a 1-0 third-round defeat, with the Robins then plying their trade in the Championship.

Now Nyatanga is aiming to avoid a giant-killing repeat in Barnsley colours against Chester, who knocked the Reds out of the competition in 1979-80.

The Blues head to Oakwell in decent form, having lost just once in their last five matches. Steve Burr’s side, in mid-table in the Conference Premier, booked their place in the second round with a fantastic 2-1 victory against Phil Brown’s Southend United at Roots Hall last month.

The game is the third instalment of a hat-trick of home games inside eight days at Oakwell with the Tykes’ displays against Scunthorpe United and Doncaster Rovers having proved distinctly under-whelming, and improvement tomorrow is badly needed.

On the game with Chester, who 50 years ago reached the third round before bowing out to Manchester United, Nyatanga said: “We know it is going to be a hard game and a massive game for them and they will put up a good fight.

“We have to be concentrated and be respectful and put on a good performance to get the result.

“If we put on a performance, we should have the quality to beat them. It shouldn’t be a problem, but, at the same time, we know we have to go and do that and it will not be easy.”

Nyatanga admits getting through to the third round and landing one of the top Premier League sides would represent a morale-boosting tonic in a difficult year for the club, whose run to the semi-finals of the competition in an unforgettable 
2007-08 season seems a world away at present. Nyatanga added: “A big game would be great for the club. A few years ago, we had Chelsea here at Oakwell and that was a fantastic game and people still talk about that now. It would be fantastic to have a big club here and you want to play against the top players.

“That being said, we have to get through the tie on Sunday and are not looking any further ahead than that because it will be a tough game.”