HISTORY suggests Wanderers face a real Roses battle at the Reebok today.

Barnsley have proved the toughest of nuts for Wanderers to crack with the last four years full of close-fought thrillers.

Indeed there has been no separating the two teams in seven of the last eight meetings with the odd one out seeing the Tykes emerging narrowly victorious with a 2-1 victory at Oakwell in 1997-98 season.

In the last four seasons Barnsley have emerged from Bolton with a point on each occasion with last season's 2-2 draw following a classic 3-3 encounter in 98-99, 1-1 the season before and 2-2 in the previous campaign.

Wanderers will be looking to continue their recent improved run with a victory against a side which currently finds itself in mid table with just one victory in eight away games this season.

But to do so will require Sam Allardyce's men to break the Barnsley jinx which sees them having to go back to the 94-95 season for their last triumph over the Tykes, although that narrow 2-1 home win was counterbalanced by a 3-0 hammering in the away fixture that season.

The 1-1 draw in 97-98 featured a classic 40-yard strike from Gudni Bergsson which the Icelandic defender unleashed after then Barnsley boss Danny Wilson shouted to him from the bench: "Go on, hit it." And he did.

Wanderers cannot expect another thunderbolt like that from their inspirational veteran defender. But they will be hoping he continues his rich vein of form in front of the opposition goal which has seen him having found the net in three of the last four Reebok matches.

Bergsson will be more concerned with sealing up the defence where he will line up alongside a new partner following Mark Fish's £700,000 transfer to Premiership Charlton this week.

Paul Warhurst is the most likely starter alongside the skipper after he returned from a 10-week absence to impress as a 56th minute replacement for Fish at Birmingham seven days ago - despite not having played a competitive game of any description since his one and only previous appearance this season against Macclesfield in August.