Sheffield Wednesday v Barnsley - Composure key to Reds ending unwanted run against bitter rivals

Sheffield Wednesday are the side who most Reds followers love to beat more than any other, with those who make the short trip down the A61 today eager to sample the sweet sensation of victory, after no wins in the club’s last five games at Wednesday.

All told, Barnsley have not beaten Owls in their last ten matches and while the occasion will be an undeniably big one for the Reds, assistant head coach Tonge believes that composure will be as equally important as passion if the visitors are to end their barren recent streak at S6.

Tonge said: “I am really looking forward to the game.

“I think derbies take their own way. The start of the match could be massive, if there are tackles flying in left, right and centre, then the game plan could go out of the window, especially with the atmosphere inside the stadium as well.

“But we are hopeful that once it starts to settle down, we can influence the match how we want to.”

Both sides head into the game on the back of excellent opening day victories against Reading and Fulham respectively, with a new-look Barnsley side – viewed as a bit of an ‘unknown quantity’ by Owls caretaker manager Lee Bullen – aiming for another uninhibited vibrant performance to follow on from last week’s highs.

Tonge added: “It is a great chance to see where we are at. We go there with a no-fear attitude and hopefully, we can come away with the points.

“We can take a big bill of confidence from last weekend because not many people thought we could beat Fulham, but we did that and showed we could do it. At the same time, we know on Saturday, it is going to be a different sort of test.”