Perkins roaring out defiance as Barnsley aim to complete double

The Reds slipped into the relegation zone on the back of a frustrating run of no wins in 11 games, prompting questions about Keith Hill’s position as manager and the calibre of players at his disposal.

But in a stirring act of defiance, Barnsley pulled off a splendid result at promotion-chasing Millwall on Saturday, and now look to complete the double over Birmingham at Oakwell today.

That 2-1 win has added confidence to the self-belief in the squad that had never wavered.

“We work hard and we’re all pulling for the manager, we’re all right behind him. We’re all pretty confident we’ll beat the drop,” said Perkins, 30, who has just recovered from a hamstring injury.

“The fact that players like Stephen Foster, Luke Steele, etc, have experienced this kind of relegation tussle before will stand us in good stead.

“When you’re in this situation, there’s no point shouting about it, you’ve just got to knuckle down and do something about it, stop looking at the league table and take each game as it comes.

“If you go on a run you’re out of it, so we’re just concentrating on ourselves.”

Barnsley ripped Birmingham apart earlier this season, winning 5-0.

Hill is wary of a backlash but eager to back up the win at the New Den by giving the Reds’ home faithful some festive cheer.

He said: “Birmingham will be out for revenge. It hurt Lee Clark, it hurt his players. We were magnificent that night and we want a repeat performance. It’ll give our players confidence but their players a determination.”

Last six games: Barnsley LDLDLW; Birmingham LDWLDD.

Last time: Barnsley 1 Birmingham 3; February 21, 2012; Championship.

Referee: C Boyeson (East Yorkshire).