Reds spirit at Oakwell due to boss Hill, says Kennedy

Kennedy, who recently joined the club on a short-term deal until January, helped make history along with his former Dale colleagues at Spotland in 2009-10 when they claimed promotion for the first time since 1969 – and sees similarities with the against-all-odds attitude of his current team-mates at Oakwell.

And it is all down to the spirit fostered at the club by Hill, reportedly on a short-list of contenders to replace Steve Kean at his former club Blackburn.

Kennedy, hoping to line up tonight against Posh, who he played for on loan last season, said: “As soon as I started training, the whole atmosphere around the place reminded me of how it used to be at Rochdale with the togetherness, siege mentality and willingness to work for each other.

“That drew me to Barnsley. I know it’s only a short-term deal, but it was worth it to come here.

“I speak to a lot of the Rochdale boys still and they say they have never had an atmosphere or togetherness like we had then. I’ve started to see glimpses of it here, just the way the lads are with each other on and off the pitch.

“Keith and Flicker (Dave Flitcroft) get the best out of players on the training ground. Sometimes, training can be quite slow and laborious, but the tempo here is incredible.

“You have to be 100 per cent switched on or they will pull you up on it and they are on your back. But the spirit is brilliant.”

After losing their opening seven games of the season, Posh head to Oakwell in renewed heart after a 3-1 weekend win at Hull, inspired by Emile Sinclair’s treble and Kennedy is expecting them to climb up the table.

He added: “I really enjoyed my time there. Darren Ferguson is a good manager and when I was there, we were quite successful and had some great results.

“In my opinion, Peterborough can beat any team in this league. While they have had a bad start, you cannot take any team for granted in this league.

“They have lost a few players, which is unfortunate because of the financial restraints at the club and the manager has to get players in from the lower divisions and develop youth.

“It’s been hard for him. But I know they have quality in their side – as they showed at Hull – and I expect them to starting pick up more points, hopefully not against us.”

Matty Done, Kelvin Etuhu and David Perkins are pushing for recalls tonight.

Last six games: Barnsley DWLDWL, Peterborough United WLLLLL.

Referee: D Mohareb (Cheshire).

Last time: Barnsley 1 Peterborough United 0; March 24, 2012; Championship.