Barnsley vs Stoke City the Championship's latest Covid-19 postponement

Barnsley's Championship home match at home to Stoke City, scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed with the Reds unable to raise a team.

It is the second time the fixture has been postponed as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

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It was Stoke who called off the planned Boxing Day meeting but this time Barnsley have said that taking injuries and Covid-19 cases into account it did not have sufficient players for the game.

At least five players and two coaches are thought to be isolating at present.

According to Football League rules, sides can only request a postponement if they have fewer than 13 senior players and/or no goalkeeper available for a match.

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On Saturday Barnsley named seven out of a possible nine substitutes for their FA Cup third-round tie at home to Barrow, which they won 5-4 after extra-time. It was their first win under coach Poya Asbaghi, though he was far from happy with it.

Remy Vita, a 20-year-old left-back signed from Bayern Munich in August, made his debut in the game, as did 19-year-old youth product Joe Ackroyd when he came off the bench in extra-time.

POSTPONEMENT: Barnsley were due to play Stoke City on TuesdayPOSTPONEMENT: Barnsley were due to play Stoke City on Tuesday
POSTPONEMENT: Barnsley were due to play Stoke City on Tuesday

Unused substitutes Danny Benson and Jasan Sraha, 18 and 19 years-old respectively, have never played senior football. Twenty-one-year-old midfielder David Bremang has, but only on loan for Conference North side Leamington two years ago.

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There was an expectation in the FA Cup that sides would make up their numbers with youth players if needs be, and no matches were postponed in contrast to the spate of call-offs to have affected league football since Christmas.

Barnsley's January 3 game against Nottingham Forest was also postponed because of problems in the Forest camp.

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