Ricoh Arena Saturday February 2 3pm 

To some it may seem like a lifetime ago while to others it might feel like it was only yesterday but one thing is for sure - a lot has changed for both the teams playing today since the Sky Blues visited a sun-scorched Oakwell on the opening day of the season and came away with a comprehensive 4-1 victory.

For City, it made them the early leaders of the Championship - something they maintained until the start of September - while for Barnsley, or to outsiders looking in at least, it appeared as if their second season in the second tier of English football was all set to be a struggle.

But whereas the Sky Blues have steadily fallen down the table, Simon Davey's men have proved that they are no pushovers at this level and at one point not so long ago, looked as if they could even be unlikely candidates for a play-off push.

While the top six is an unlikely target for a side that was embroiled in a fierce relegation battle the last time they visited the Ricoh just under a year ago, they certainly appear in a strong position to put some daylight between themselves and the bottom three this time around.

Barnsley took on the Sky Blues last March when they were fighting for their lives to ensure that their first season back in the Championship did not end with an instant return to League One.

The match ended, as was the case on the opening day of this campaign, with a 4-1 victory for the Sky Blues and was followed by a 2-1 defeat against Derby and 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Ipswich.

However, three consecutive victories against Birmingham, Southend and Crystal Palace demonstrated that Davey's side certainly has an appetite for a fight and can by no means be branded bottlers.

While 2006/07 ended with an instantly forgettable 7-0 thumping at the hands of West Brom, the Tykes ultimately avoided the drop with eight points to spare and despite that early setback at the hands of the Sky Blues at the beginning of 07/08, they have once again proved that they have more than enough to compete at this level.

The reason for this? Davey's squad had already proven their credentials but thanks to the capture of some highly experienced individuals at both this level and above, the Tykes are undoubtedly a stronger outfit now than they were a year ago.

Barnsley have benefited from the capture of the likes of Sheffield United's Rob Kozluk and Leicester's Andy Johnson during the summer while securing striker Jon Macken permanently last week following his loan spell at Oakwell could be seen as a major coup as well.

Davey also beat yesterday's transfer deadline to complete the captures of Derby defender Lewin Nyatanga, pictured right, and Everton midfielder Anderson de Silva after successful loan spells, while experienced goalkeeper Tony Warner joined on loan after an injury to number one Heinz Muller.  

With the business end of the campaign well and truly upon us, the true test of sides battling at the wrong end of the table is still to come but Barnsley are one side who will certainly not roll over and die.

Team News

City boss Iain Dowie could hand home debuts to new signings Danny Fox and Scott Dann for the visit of the Tykes.

Goalkeepers Andy Marshall and Dimi Kostantopoulos are struggling, with the former more likely to feature, while Michael Hughes and Marcus Hall are both close to returning after injury.

Dowie faces a toss-up between Leon Best and Robbie Simpson over who partners Michael Mifsud in attack after Dele Adebola's departure to Bristol City.

Barnsley will be without goalkeeper Heinz Muller (ligament damage) so loan signing Tony Warner could deputise.

Fellow new boys Lewin Nyatanga and Anderson de Silva could also feature while Jon Macken is expected to start.

The Gaffer

Simon Davey was appointed as Academy Manager at Barnsley in the summer of 2006 and has performed admirably in the role to keep Barnsley in the Championship last season - a feat he looks all set to repeat this time around.

The Welshman started his professional playing career with Swansea City in 1989 and made 58 appearances for the Swans before joining Carlisle United three years later.

A popular figure at Brunton Park, Davey skippered the Cumbrians during his 137 games and his 23 goals tempted Preston to splash out £125,000 to secure his services in 1995.

Apart from a brief loan spell with Darlington in 1997, he spent the rest of his playing career at Deepdale, playing 122 times and netting 22 goals from midfield before retiring through injury.

Davey moved into coaching after hanging up his boots and worked with the youngsters at Preston under the watchful eye of current Everton boss David Moyes and former Scotland manager Craig Brown, leaving the Lilywhites in the summer of 2005.

One of the most highly-qualified young coaches in the English game, Davey has held the UEFA 'Pro' Licence since 2005.

Star Man

Barnsley pulled off a major coup with the capture of Jon Macken on a permanent transfer from Derby County during the January transfer window.

The 30-year-old scored three goals in 11 appearances in a recent loan spell at Oakwell in the autumn, before he was recalled by his parent club.

But the Tykes captured the former Manchester City striker for an undisclosed "six-figure" fee, putting pen to paper on a contract running until the summer of 2009.

The Republic of Ireland international started just four league games for Derby in nearly a year there but has a proven track record as a prolific scorer during a lengthy career, which began as a trainee at Manchester United

He failed to break into the first team at Old Trafford and made his name at Preston, scoring 63 goals in nearly 200 league appearances. His form at Deepdale earned him a £5m move to Manchester City which was followed by moves to Crystal Palace and Ipswich.

Barnsley boss Simon Davey said the signing of Macken is an excellent one for the Club.

"I am absolutely delighted to bring Jon here on a permanent basis," he said.

"All credit has to go to the board for their hard work and persistence in tracking Jon in the last month and we have finally got him. It is fantastic. Hopefully he can continue from where he left off because he was just hitting form in front of goal.

"During his first nine games I believe we saw that Jon is the complete striker but he was just lacking the final touch in front of goal that I knew he has after spending time with him at Preston. He showed that goalscoring instinct in his final two matches and hopefully he can pick up from there."

Last Time We Met

Saturday August 11 Coca Cola Championship

Barnsley 1 Coventry City 4

Kevin Kyle, Julian Gray and Michael Mifsud scored second-half goals as City started the season with a deserved win at Oakwell.

Leon McKenzie headed home a free-kick to put the Sky Blues ahead but a handball from Kyle led to Brian Howard equalising from the penalty spot.

Kyle put the visitors back ahead with a header from Jay Tabb's cross, who later passed for Gray to score.

And Tabb then picked out Misfud, who drove the ball past Nick Colgan to make it four.