Yorkshire derbies are always passionate affairs, but tomorrow's trip to Sheffield Wednesday will be extra special for Barnsley's Paul Heckingbottom, as the full back will be returning to Hillsborough for the first time since leaving the club less than 12 months ago. After a bright start to the campaign, the Tykes have suffered back-to-back defeats in their last two games against Preston and Luton to slip to 18th place in the Championship. However, a victory against the struggling Owls could lift Barnsley into mid-table and manager Andy Ritchie will be keen to avoid a relegation dogfight in what is the club's first year back in the second tier of English football. Givemefootball's Mark Shail is the man with the questions.
Q:AFTER A GOOD START, THINGS HAVEN'T GONE BARNSLEY'S WAY RECENTLY HAVE THEY?
A:No, we've lost our last couple of games but in all honesty we probably deserved to take something from both those matches. But we're not letting our heads drop because we've been playing pretty well and a win against Wednesday would get us back on track.
Q:ON A PRESONAL LEVEL, TOMORROW'S MATCH WILL BE A BIG GAME FOR YOU WON'T IT?
A:Yes, I was there less than a year ago and it will be nice to catch up with some familiar faces. I'm not sure what kind of reception I'll get from the Wednesday fans – hopefully some of then will appreciate the contribution I made in helping the club get promoted to the Championship. But I'm sure there will be one or two shouts of 'Wednesday reject' as well.
Q:WERE YOU SURPRISED ANDY RITCHIE DECIDED TO STICK WITH THE PLAYERS WHO HELPED THE CLUB WIN PROMOTION, RATHER THAN RE-SHAPING THE SQUAD IN THE SUMMER?
A:No, I wasn't surprised and in the main those players have repaid him by picking up the points we have so far - and in truth we should have got a few more on the board. But if we keep going the way we are I'm sure we'll be okay.
Q:WAS SURVIVAL THE MAIN TARGET AT THE START OF THE CAMPAIGN?
A:I think staying up has to be the priority when you've just been promoted to a higher division. If at Christmas we're doing better than expected, then perhaps we can change our targets and aim a bit higher. But right now the main aim is to get enough points to be safe. Once we've done that we can reassess the situation.
Q:ARE YOU EXPECTING THE MANAGER TO MAKE SOME NEW SIGNINGS IN JANUARY?
A:I think that was always going to be the case – I'm sure the management team are looking at players at the moment with a view to strengthening the squad. The chairman has already said that some funds will be made available, whether that's for loan players or permanent signings I don't know.
Q:HAVE THE LAST COUPLE OF DEFEATS KNOCKED THE PLAYERS' CONFIDENCE IN ANY WAY?
A:We spoke about this earlier in the season and we said there will be times when we lose two or three consecutive games and we have to be ready for that. But the spirit in the camp couldn't be better and certainly hasn't been affected. We all enjoy our training and we go out to play the games with smiles on our faces.
Q:THE CHAMPIONSHIP LOOKS VERY TIGHT THIS SEASON, DOESN'T IT?
A:I think it could well turn out to be the tightest of all the leagues this time round. Usually the bottom two divisions are the tightest ones but the Championship is really close and you wouldn't be surprised if the bottom club beats the top one.
