Brighton are no pushovers at home

It was only back on 3rd April when Norwich were down at Brighton's Amex stadium and the Canaries were certainly delighted to come away with a 0-1 win thanks to a Bradley Johnson goal. Brighton tend to keep possession well at home and deny opponents too much time on the ball. They have beaten Derby and Ipswich at home since the new year and AFCB cannot expect an easy ride against this team.

With Brighton on 45 points and still having five games to go they are not mathematically safe yet, but it would have to be a poor run of results and something spectacular from either Wigan or Millwall to catch the Seagulls now. Brighton fans will write this season off, but they won't hesitate to celebrate a minor victory over the Cherries if they get the chance and watching their team against AFCB down at the Goldsands Stadium last November I know they have enough about them to make this possibly the most difficult match left on the Cherries' fixture list.

I hope the weather is a bit better than last time we visited the Amex.

While Brighton have not been setting the league alight with their goal tally, they don't exactly give that many away either. their last five games have not seen more than two goals scored in each match and Brighton have only let two goals in during those five games. Their back four in their last match against Rotherham consisted of Bruno, Greg  Halford, Lewis Dunk and Joe Bennett while Stockdale has been keeping goal.

Their much talked about striker for his goal celebrations in particular is Kazenga Lua Lua, but he has only scored three league goals all season. Chris O'Grady, the former Barnsley striker was brought in to bolster their attack last summer but he has netted just one league goal since his arrival. Craig Mackail-Smith is on the same league total of one, so you can see where some of the problems have been for Brighton. Yet, they have a strong midfield with Rohan Ince and Joao Teixeira as well as Forster-Caskey who I see as all good players.

AFCB prepare to take on the Seagulls again.

Chris Hughton has not been happy with his sides blocking of crosses and you just get the feeling that this could be a game when Kenwyne Jones might get some joy if he can get on as a second half substitute for the Cherries. Before that though I expect Eddie Howe to feel that his side is good enough to craft a way through the Seagull's defences with the kind of form that the Cherries have been in at home, but away from home the Cherries need to be more clinical than they have been of late. The aim will be to give David Stockdale a torrid time, although I have heard that he could be a doubt for the game.

Brighton Home Form
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AFCB Away Form
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Do check out our Rival Lines with The Albion Roar as well for more Match Preview views.

Cherries go into Brighton derby as favourites

AFCB keep surprising teams and they now come into the local match against Brighton as favourites on recent form. Fourth from the top of the Championship, the Cherries are in good shape as the Sky TV cameras come to town and while they might not be able to emulate the scoreline of last weekend they certainly won't be holding back.

Brighton players really need the points so I am expecting a very tricky match.

Meanwhile, it has not been the easiest of times for Sami Hyypia at Brighton who sit four places off the bottom as they come into this match. It is simply not where you would expect Brighton, one of last season's play-off teams to be. They have lost a few players though like Leonardo Ulloa, Andrea Orlandi, Thomaz Kuszczak and Will Buckley, but the new signings haven't had the impact that Hyypia would have wished for.

Brighton have become the draw specialists picking up six points from their last seven games. they aren't getting beaten that often, but the wins just aren't coming for them. What is worse is that they have been in winning positions against Rotherham and Cardiff and did not hold on. Their goal average is also down at 0.93 per game and they are struggle to hit the back of the net. Lewis Dunk is their highest goalscorer on four in the league and one in the League Cup. 

So what can we expect against the Cherries. Well Sami Hyypia has asked his team to show more character. They have been struggling to play two good halves in matches, but they have some good players. I do like the marauding play of Rohan Ince in midfield and Greer and Caldoron will always battle for everything at the back. Hyppia has brought in ex-Barnsley striker Chris O'Grady, while Kazenga Lua Lua and Craig Mackail-Smith have been more out that in the team. Sam Baldock has been relied on up front but just has not been scoring enough.

Meanwhile, AFCB come into the game knowing that a win could take them back to the top of the Championship after an impressive month of wins. The Cherries are going to take some stopping and I don't believe that the Seagulls will be able to fly out of Dean Court with any points.

Brighton Away Form:
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AFCB Home Form:
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Tomorrow Cherry Chimes will release its November Newsletter. A historic month for the Cherries, you can catch up on last month's big stories on the blog and read the special newsletter story - Are the Cherries destined for Cup success?

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Are Barnsley on the ropes?

Okay, so Barnsley are propping up the Championship table. Favourites to go down? Probably, but remember what they did last season. A strong run of good results got them out of trouble and their home form will need to improve now if they are to have any chance of making another great escape. That means they will be all out to get three points against the Cherries and they are more than capable of doing that. In the match at Dean Court earlier in the season they were unlucky to be 1-0 losers having hit the post on a couple of occasions. AFCB will not want to give them such good opportunities this time around.

Barnsley's home form has already started to improve as they have beaten Nottingham Forest 1-0 on 8 March and they also won against Millwall at Oakwell by the same score in the home match before that. So wipe out any thoughts of thinking Barnsley are not fighting for their survival they are. They have only been beaten once at home in their last five games and that was to Leicester City.

Chris O'Grady is still showing that he can put away the chances at this level and he leads the way with 11 goals this season. But other players are starting to get on the score sheet for them like Dale Jennings and Jim O'Brien. Thomasz Cywka is the other midfielder that has been getting a few goals. Nick Proshwitz is not scoring though and Jacob Mellis is also finding it hard to hit the back of the net. 

Danny Wilson is getting the best out of his team at Oakwell, it's on the road that they are struggling. So AFCB will go into this game knowing not to take much notice of Barnsley's league position because they can beat anyone at home. I believe Barnsley are the longest serving Championship team but even if they get a result against the Cherries it is still asking a lot for them to beat the drop this time around.

Barnsley Home Form
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AFCB Away Form
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Cherry Chimes talks to  On the Ponty End. Just visit Rival Lines to see how Barnsley are shaping up for the match on Saturday.

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Cherry Chimes talks to on the Ponty End

Match Preview

Barnsley v AFCB
Blogger Interview - On the Ponty End

Cherry Chimes talks to On the Ponty End to see how Barnsley supporters are feeling as the season reaches its final quarter. Ian Wilkinson is happy to share some more of his On the Ponty end views and we have to ask the delicate question of  whether Barnsley are still hopeful of saving their Championship status and climbing off the bottom of the league.

CC: The season is nearing its closing stages but can Barnsley still manage a great escape like last season?

OTPE: The games are running out. There is a concern that we have really struggled on the road this season, having only picked up one win on our travels. As a result the pressure is really on for us to perform at home and get the points we desperately need. We can escape, but recent games have suggested that there's a lack of unity and belief behind the scenes. Unlike previous seasons, its that quality that's missing. It's a worrying situation.

CC: How do you feel the return of Danny Wilson has gone?

OTPE: Perhaps many of us had hoped to see a more attack minded set up on Danny's return, akin to the "Just like watching Brazil" days. But the fact is, he has had to roll up his sleeves and hit the ground running with much the same personnel used during David Flitcrofts tenure. There are some exceptions, Jack Hunt (arrived on loan from Crystal Palace), Liam Lawrence (on a free from PAOK), Emmanuel Frimpong (on a short term deal from Arsenal) and Nick Proschwitz (on loan from Hull City) but all have had stuttering performances and have failed to give the Reds the mobility we need in key areas.

Danny is well like by the Oakwell faithful. He's straight talking, determined and will do everything he can to keep our status in the Championship. Sadly, he may have been saddled with too much dead wood.

CC: How worried are you of losing O'Grady in the summer?

OTPE: Chris O'Grady has been a fine servant, after initially joining us on loan in 2012/13 from rival Sheffield Wednesday, he has often been MOTM and is the talisman behind some of our better performances. He deserves to play in the Championship and if Barnsley can't offer football at that level, I'm sure there will be plenty of offers. Should Barnsley be relegated, we would expect to see an exodus at Oakwell and perhaps that is what is needed.

CC: Is it the draws that have proved costly for your team and could you have easily won against Birmingham, Blackburn, Ipswich or Doncaster?

OTPE: At the end of the season you might look at those games as the ones that have hurt us this season, but overall you would have to say that our failure to win games away from home has been the biggest factor. Don't get me wrong, you don't expect to pick up many points on your travels when you follow Barnsley, but just three more wins would have seen us safely away from the perilous position we currently occupy. It makes our upcoming games at Yeovil, Charlton, Bolton and perhaps even Middlesbrough that much more important.

CC: The team's form since the new year has been fairly good, but the Huddersfield game must have been disappointing?

OTPE: In a word - YES. For the first twenty minutes we dominated possession and really bossed the game, but failed to finish any of our opportunities. There was also the unpleasant incident where Stephen Dawson and Brek Shea became involved in a fracas with Barnsley fans at full time. Suffice to say, Brek Shea departed shortly after with Wilson cancelling the loan agreement with Stoke City. Dawson apologised and made a substantial donation to Barnsley Hospice.

CC: What changes will the fans want if Barnsley don't stay in the Championship?

OTPE: Perhaps most supporters would want Danny Wilson given the opportunity to impose his philosophy on the team and begin a rebuild project based on building around the emerging talent we have within the club's own Academy. Of course we would love to see a wealthy local benefactor arrive on the scene, but the reality is we will have to cut our cloth accordingly and would expect to see lots of the current personnel exit before the start of the new season.

CC: Have you seen much you like about Nick Proschwitz?

OTPE: He's a real enigma to us all. At best he can be a real threat and has already scored some great goals for Barnsley, but sadly he's gone missing for large spells in other games and hasn't forged the kind of relationship with Chris O'Grady to make fans believe that he will make the difference in these closing games.

CC: AFCB only won by a single goal at Dean Court against Barnsley and you hit the post several times in that game from what I remember, so has the team's finishing improved?

OTPE: As was proven against Forest recently, Dale Jennings showed that we tend to score spectacular goals, but the fact is that only Charlton have scored fewer goals than the Reds this season. You would have to go back to October, in our victory over Middlesbrough, since Barnsley found the net more than twice in any League game.

CC: What is the Oakwell stadium like for visiting fans, do you get a good view, big scoreboard, cheap parking etc?

OTPE: The North Stand provides excellent facilities for visiting supporters. There's a good range of food and snacks available, plus bar facilities for those who might enjoy a pint or two before kick-off or at half-time. The view is unobstructed and you will be situated next to the tunnel, close up to the players as they arrive and exit the pitch.

There's no big scoreboard, but from what I've heard there is live coverage of the match streamed to the concourse in the North Stand for visiting supporters, which is especially handy if you need to leave your seat to answer the call of nature.

Parking is reasonably cheap throughout the town, but most visiting fans park right next to the stadium on the Queens Ground car park. It's just a few pounds to park there and offers quick and easy access to the ground before and after the match.

The Metrodome (Leisure Centre) is also based adjacent to the ground and they provide good facilities, including Sky Sports / Bar / Food etc for visiting supporters.

Sadly, the location of Oakwell doesn't sell the most pleasant aspects of our town. If you can, try and visit the town centre where you'll find the impressive Town Hall and Experience Barnsley Museum, plus lots of great cafes and bars too.

CC: Well I feel I know the Barnsley team and the town much better now. I get the feeling that Barnsley is a pleasant family club that is trying to do the right things but is like most clubs short of a bit of money to provide the football that it so wants to bring to Oakwell. Still your club has been hitting above its weight for a long time and is quite capable of beating any of the top six on its day so I don't see this as an easy game for AFCB who are struggling to bother the scoreboard at the moment. 

Make sure you visit Ian's fantastic blog as well for more information and comment on Barnsley FC - just go to On The Ponty End.

You can listen to more discussion on the Charlton v AFCB game by listening to Michael Dunne's All Departments' Kangaroo Court by visiting All Departments or by scrolling down the right hand panel on Cherry Chimes to the All Departments' sound bar.    

Barnsley are like a wounded animal

Barnsley are just one of two teams that went into last weekend with a higher goal against count than AFCB. Bolton were the other team before you race to look it up. However, just because they have conceded a few goals does not make them easy pickings. I fear that they could be more like a wounded animal, which is what Huddersfield found out when they lost to the Tykes.

What should give Bournemouth fans some confidence though is that Barnsley have not yet won away from home and defensive frailties could open some doors for the Cherries on Tuesday night.  While David Flitcroft has brought in winger McCourt and Norwegian striker Pedersen, it is at the back where they have had their problems. Pollitt has now had two games in goal for them and is likely to still be getting used to the players in front of him. Kennedy, Wiseman, Mvoto and Golbourne have been the back four most often although they have failed to keep a clean sheet except for the first round Carling Cup game against Scunthorpe, which they went on to win 5:4 after penalties. They were not so lucky in the second round shipping five goals at home to that team down the road!

While all that might sound confidence boosting to the Cherries, everyone has their day and the home win against Huddersfield already points towards Barnsley starting to turn around their form. There was further evidence of this with a close game against Nottingham Forest at the weekend where they ended up on the wrong side of a five goal thriller. Ian Henderson scored the winner for Forest as late as the 84th minute and Barnsley were away from home.

Another win for the Tykes would move them towards mid-table and suddenly they have not had such a poor start to the season. I think these sort of games are the most dangerous for AFCB. Barnsley are often involved in high scoring games and the Cherries should aim to play without leaving the back door open. A bit of confidence and Barnsley could be the ones to further dent our proud home record.

The Nottingham Forest game shows that Barnsley are improving and don't just look to defend away from home for 90 minutes. Barnsley took two of their chances, O'Grady from the penalty spot and Cywka with an absolute howitzer of a free kick, which I hope he does not repeat at Dean Court. 

For a further insight on the challenge in front of the Cherries tonight, drop in on Cherry Chimes' Rival Lines where you'll find out such things as why Liverpool and Man Utd are more of a threat to Barnsley than Sheffield Wednesday or Leeds Utd. Ian Wilkinson, the On The Ponty End Blogger provides the low down on the Tykes and has some valuable advise for their slow running mascot! 

League form going into tonight's game:

AFCB: W, L, W, L,W,L

Barnsley: L,L,D,L,W,L