Stat Attack: Barnsley v Notts County

Notts County have faced Barnsley a total of 64 times in their history, with the first meeting going back over a hundred years, on November 29, 1913. The result? A 3-1 win for the Magpies.

However, the two sides haven’t faced off for a decade, what with different leagues separating them both. The last game, a Division 2 league match at Meadow Lane on January 21, 2004, ended in a 1-1 draw.

We are very much hoping for a repeat of the match that took place in November 1927, which ended in a 9-0 win for Notts!

Barnsley FC was established in 1887 by a clergyman, Tiverton Preedy, under the name Barnsley St Peter’s, and played in the Sheffield and District League from 1890 and then in the Midland League from 1895.

They joined the Football League in 1898, and struggled in Division Two for the first ten years, due in part to ongoing financial difficulties.

In 1910 the club reached the FA Cup final, where they lost out to Newcastle United in a replay match. However, they would then reach the 1912 FA Cup Final where they would defeat West Bromwich Albion 1–0 in a replay to win the trophy for the first and only time in their history.

Their sole season in the top flight came in 1997-98, where they were there for one year before going straight back down.

The Tykes have played at Oakwell, a 29,003-seater stadium, since 1888.

Also, they’ve spend more time in the second tier of English football than any other club in Football League history.

Barnsley were one of a quartet of teams that made the 2007-08 FA Cup so special, as they beat Liverpool and Chelsea to join West Brom, Cardiff City and Portsmouth in the semi-finals.

The following season, the Tykes fielded the youngest ever player in the history of the Football League at Ipswich Town when Reuben Noble-Lazarus came on aged 15 years and 45 days.

Famous Barnsley fans include cricket umpire Dickie Bird, cricketer Darren Gough, and legendary chat show host Michael Parkinson.

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Barnsley will be without suspended midfielder James Bailey tomorrow, so Paul Digby could be in contention for his first start of the season.

Former Bayern Munich man Dale Jennings has missed the last four games due to an ankle injury, but could be included in the squad playing for the reserves on Monday.

Winger Rhys Williams is poised to make his fourth appearance for the club since arriving on loan from Fulham.

Notts have no new problems as they look to extend their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions.

Midfielder Alan Smith and full-back Blair Adams will come back into contention, having not been involved in Saturday's 5-3 home win over Crawley.

Meanwhile, Jake Cassidy and Hayden Mullins are both nursing injuries.