A GLANCE down the team sheet is all Steven Schumacher needs to look past Barnsley’s bizarre run of poor home form.
The Oakwell men have suffered in front of their own fans since a dramatic 2-2 draw against Wanderers last March, where Randell Williams followed up a Josh Sheehan penalty which had been saved by Liam Roberts, scoring an equaliser in the 98th minute.
In the 31 home games to be played in all competitions since then, Barnsley have won just five, drawing 12 and losing 13.
This season, the South Yorkshiremen’s home form ranks 19th in League One, yet their results on the road place them fourth.
All of this considered, Schumacher believes it would be dangerous to underestimate a squad which still has many of the components which has qualified for the play-offs in the last two season, meeting Bolton on each occasion.
“They are a team who wouldn’t have expected to be in the league position they are currently in,” Schumacher said. “But you look down that squad and they have got some really talented players.
“They have been top six the last couple of seasons in this division and from an outsider looking in, you would have expected them to be up there again.
“They are not in that situation, for whatever reason, but I am sure they will be motivated because they have come up against Bolton a few times in the last few years and we know each other well.
“They can almost play with a bit of freedom, with no pressure as such, but we know we have got to go there, and we have got to win. The pressure is on us to deliver, and hopefully we can.”
Only Burton have won fewer games on home turf this season in League One than Barnsley, who dispensed with the services of manager Darrell Clarke in March and put experienced midfielder Conor Hourihane in temporary charge until the summer.
Schumacher won’t be taking too much notice of the formbook, anticipating a reaction from a Tykes team hammered 6-2 at Birmingham City last weekend in their last outing.
“Sometimes it can be difficult playing in front of home fans when you’ve had the type of season Barnsley have had,” he reasoned. “From that point of view there will be pressure for them, but in regards to the game, I won't read too much into what their form has been like, because I've just got to focus on what our players do and how we are going to play.
“I know Conor from his playing days, he's had an Argyle connection, so I know he'll be desperate to win this game. I don't think he's had a win yet as the head coach, so he'll be desperate to try and get a victory.
“You look at their players, there's still some players that have played in the play-off games against us over the years, and that they have probably underperformed.”
Ex-Wanderer Luca Connell, Adam Phillips and Bolton’s old nemesis, Stephen Humphrys are among the players who will be renewing acquaintances.
“They added some firepower over the summer with David Keilor-Dunn, who's been in great form, he's got 17 goals, or something, this season, so they've got good players.
“For whatever reason they haven’t mounted that top six challenge, but they won’t be thinking about that on Saturday, it’ll just be how to beat us. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
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