Town boss Mick McCarthy believes Barnsley manager Danny Wilson, who returned to Oakwell in December, is capable of keeping his hometown club in the Championship. The Tykes, who the Blues face in South Yorkshire today, currently sit in 23rd position, five points from safety.
McCarthy, who could have Paul Green in his squad if his loan deal from Leeds is completed before noon, says Wilson has what it takes to win a relegation battle having taken the club into the Premier League during his previous spell in charge: "He’s had promotion battles, that’s the thing with him at Barnsley.
"He’s the manager who has had the most success with getting them into the Premier League, playing the best football. The chant of ‘It’s just like watching Brazil’, that was when Danny was there.
"Whatever else he’s had, he’s had the most amount of success. Everybody thought he was a great signing for them, and I did as well.
"He’s tried to change it around, get a few players in. If anybody can get them out of it, then Danny Wilson can.
"I sincerely hope he does, but not at my expense. I like him, but I prefer him when I’ve beaten him.”
But he believes Wilson’s Tykes will have to replicate last year’s form in the closing months of the campaign in order to escape the drop.
"They had a great run at the end of last season and twice we’ve played them down here in the last 12 months and on two occasions they’ve murdered us in the second half,” he said.
"They’ve had a change of manager since, David Flitcroft left and Danny Wilson’s taken over and has had a bit of a mixed bag with results.
"He got one on loan, Emmanuel Frimpong, who got sent off last week, so he’s missing. Jacob Mellis, who is arguably one of his better players is also missing because he got sent off. But I don’t see them as having a bad squad of players. I think they’re a handful, I really do.”
He added: "It will require as an amazing a run as they had at the end of last season to get out. Will it be the same as last season?
"If you remember, if we won, Peterborough would win, Barnsley would win, whoever else was down at the bottom of the league would also win.
"And actually it seems a bit the same this year — Yeovil have a win, Barnsley have a win, Charlton have a win.
"I’d like them to get out, but I’m more interested in whether we get in the top six, to be honest with you.”