Team News
Centre backs Martin Cranie and Peter Ramage are still absent with hamstring injuries with increasing worries that they could become long term.
Manager Danny Wilson also has other knocks to contend with but would not disclose these to the media.
Last time out - Barnsley Team:
Luke Steele
Jack Hunt
Peter Ramage
Lewin Nyatanga
Tom Kennedy
Ryan McLaughlin
Stephen Dawson
Martin Woods
Dale Jennings
Chris O’Grady
Marcus Pedersen.
Head to Head
Last Six Reading v Barnsley results:
1/10/13 Barnsley (O’Grady) 1-1 Reading (Robson-Kanu) (Championship)
17/3/12 Barnsley 0-4 Reading (McAnuff, Karacan, 2, Roberts) (Championship)
20/8/11 Reading (Robson-Kanu) 1-2 Barnsley (Foster, Done) (Championship)
19/3/11 Barnsley 0-1 Reading (Manset) (Championship)
25/9/10 Reading (Kebe, Robson-Kanu, Harte) 3-0 Barnsley (Championship)
30/1/10 Reading (Long) 1-0 Barnsley (Championship)
Overall Record:
Reading Wins: 28
Barnsley Wins: 23
Draws: 16
Reading Goals: 107
Barnsley Goals: 91
At Reading:
Reading Wins: 18
Barnsley Wins: 6
Draws: 10
Reading Goals: 62
Barnsley Goals: 30
First Met In League: Barnsley 2-2 Reading Saturday 11th September 1926.
Biggest Win: Barnsley 5-2 Reading Tuesday 20th October 1987.
Biggest Defeat: Reading 7-0 Barnsley Saturday 29th December 1979.
Last Home Win: Barnsley (Darren Barnard 22, Jan-Aage Fjortoft 59,86) 3-0 Reading Tuesday 15th September 1998.
Last Away Win: Reading (Hal Robson-Kanu 74) 1-2 Barnsley (Stephen Foster 27, Matt Done 68) Saturday 20th August 2011.
Last Home Draw: Barnsley (Chris O’Grady 79) 1-1 Reading (Hal Robson-Kanu 51) Tuesday 1st October 2013.
Last Away Draw: Reading 0-0 Barnsley Saturday 18th April 2009.
Last Home Defeat: Barnsley 0-4 Reading (Jobi McAnuff 47, Jem Karacan 9,65, Jason Roberts 90). Saturday 17th March 2012.
Last Away Defeat: Reading (Jimmy Kebe 78, Hal Robson-Kanu 90, Ian Harte 90) 3-0 Barnsley Saturday 25th September 2010.
Last Away Meeting:
Saturday 20th August 2011
Reading 1 2 Barnsley
Robson-Kanu (pen 74) Foster (27)
Done (68)
Reading:
Adam Federici, Alex Pearce, Ian Harte, Bongani Khumalo, Jem Karacan, Brynjar Gunnarsson (Mathieu Manset 70), Mikele Leigertwood, Jobi McAnuff, Jimmy Kebe, Hal Robson-Kanu, Noel Hunt (Simon Church 84)
Unused substitutes:
Alex McCarthy, Sean Morrison, Jordan Obita.
Barnsley:
Luke Steele, Bobby Hassell, Jay McEveley (Jim McNulty 63), Rob Edwards, Stephen Foster, Scott Wiseman, Danny Haynes (Andy Gray 58), Matty Done, David Perkins, Jacob Butterfield (Jim O’Brien 80)
Unused substitutes:
David Preece, Goran Lovre.
Still at respective clubs:
Reading: 10 (Federici, Pearce, Karacan, Gunnarsson, Leigertwood, McAnuff, Robson-Kanu, McCarthy, Morrison, Obita)
Barnsley: 3 (Steele, Hassell, O’Brien)
This Season:
Last six 2013-2014 results:
Reading:
22/3/14 Birmingham 1–2 Reading (Championship)
11/3/14 Leeds 2-4 Reading (McCleary, Drenthe, Blackman, Robson-Kanu) (Championship)
8/3/14 Brighton 1-1 Reading (Drenthe) (Championship)
1/3/14 Reading (Lundstram og) 1-1 Yeovil (Championship)
22/2/14 Reading 0-1 Blackburn (Championship)
16/2/14 QPR 1-3 Reading (Williams, Pearce, McCleary)
W: 3 D: 2 L: 1 F: 11 A: 7 GD: +4 Points: 11
Barnsley:
22/3/14 Barnsley 0–1 Bournemouth (Championship)
15/3/14 Watford 3–0 Barnsley (Championship)
11/3/14 Barnsley 0-3 Leicester (Championship)
8/3/14 Barnsley (Jennings) 1-0 Nottingham Forest (Championship)
1/3/14 Huddersfield 5-0 Barnsley (Championship)
22/2/14 Barnsley (O’Brien) 1-0 Millwall (Championship)
W: 2 D: 0 L: 4 F: 2 A: 11 GD: -9 Points: 6
Interesting Stats
When these two sides drew at Oakwell back in October, it was the first stalemate at Barnsley between the two teams since 1972.
Reading’s Hal Robson-Kanu has scored in three of the last six meetings.
Barnsley have won just six times in 34 trips to Reading but two of those have come within the last four visits.
Overall though The Reds have won just one of the last seven meetings, losing five.
The Royals come into this match unbeaten in five matches (2 wins 3 draws) and they have won seven of their last 13 league matches to sit handily in the final play-off spot.
They have though managed just seven home wins this season (the lowest amongst the top 10) and have failed to win any of the last four.
Reading have drawn seven times in front of their own supporters this season, only Bolton, Middlesbrough and Birmingham have accrued more home draws.
Nigel Adkins side have managed just one clean sheet in their last eight outings.
Reading have won each of their last three Tuesday night matches. The last time they failed to win on a Tuesday was at Oakwell back in October when they drew 1-1. Barnsley meanwhile have failed to win any of their last three on a Tuesday, losing two. However their only away victory this season did come on a Tuesday evening, at Brighton back on the 3rd December.
Ref Watch:
Stephen Martin.
2013-2014: Games: 29 Yellows: 47 Reds: 2
This will be Martin’s 30th game of the season, and will be the tenth in the Championship.
Last Reading match: Stephen Martin has never before refereed a Reading match.
Last Barnsley match: Blackpool 1-0 Barnsley Saturday 10th August 2013. (No yellow cards shown)
On This Day:
Reading:
Played: 16 Won: 5 Drawn: 5 Lost: 6 Scored: 20 Conceded: 17.
Last match on the 25th March: 2006. Leicester 1-1 Reading (Doyle). Att: 25,578.
Last win: 1989
Last draw: 2006
Last defeat: 2000
STAT! – Reading have failed to win any of their last four matches on this date and have won just one of the last seven.
Barnsley:
Played: 22 Won: 9 Drawn: 6 Lost: 7 Scored: 28 Conceded: 25.
Last match on the 25th March: 2006. Barnsley 0-0 Bournemouth. Att: 9,180.
Last win: 2005
Last draw: 2006
Last defeat: 1972
STAT! – Barnsley won each of their first five matches on this date but have won just four out of 17 since although they are unbeaten in the last seven.
Mad Sites:
Official Sites:
Other Fixtures:
Tuesday 25th March 2014:
7:45pm:
Bournemouth v Leeds
Burnley v Doncaster
Huddersfield v Middlesbrough
Ipswich v Derby
Leicester v Yeovil
Millwall v Birmingham
Nottingham Forest v Charlton
QPR v Wigan
Sheffield Wednesday v Brighton
Watford v Brighton
8pm:
Bolton v Blackpool