November 2011
Following last week’s derby delight against Doncaster, many Reds’ fans like myself will have switched on Radio Sheffield for the post match reactions. It was said by the presenter at the time that whilst Barnsley had played well during the game, Doncaster had certainly put up a less than desirable fight, and most certainly deserved to be beaten. The presenter also added that the true test for the Reds was to come against Leeds United in their next game, which would provide a completely different challenge to Doncaster on the basis of their respective league positions, both past and present.

As discussed in my last post, “The Bank of Oakwell?”, Nile Ranger joined the Reds this week and was pushing to start in the Reds’ first on the road derby of the season, but only made the bench. Keith Hill also perhaps surprised fans with another selection, with Danny Drinkwater only returning to the bench following the suspension which kept him out of last week’s home tie against Donny, leaving the side unchanged from last week’s win.

I'm just loving Twitter at the moment. The ability it provides to have banter and feedback with fellow Reds fans and the opposition is almost limitless and instant.

Today proved again why OnThePontyEnd relishes the games against the so-called bigger teams, especially as we've just taken another notable scalp.

Starting this morning, I latched onto a ridiculously inaccurate post from the Leeds blog 'The Scratching Shed', The Arrogant Ramblings Of Deluded Barnsley Manager. Take a look at the post yourself, but that set my day up. I knew that Barnsley FC had the capacity to outplay Leeds United today, especially when the opposition take up such a pathetic superiority over our 'Little Club'.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05:  Ni...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
This Thursday marked the end of the current loan window in which clubs could sign players on short-term ‘emergency deals’. The Reds took full advantage of the impending deadline, signing troubled striker Nile Ranger from Newcastle and former Barcelona youngster Gai Assulin from Manchester City, which was called off the day after it's announcement. However what must have come as a shock for the Oakwell faithful was not the ins, but the outs, with Nathan Doyle, who was in the running for player of the season last term, signing for Preston until Mid-January.

We take a look at the current loan activity, and in some parts lack of, at Oakwell.

It doesn't take the most inquisitive of Barnsley fans to know that Jacob Butterfield has been attracting a lot of media attention recently. In what will be seen in the eyes of many as a fantastic season so far for the youngster, the former Manchester United trainee has seen himself become a regular in Keith Hill's side, as well as being appointed as the club's youngest ever captain. And last week, seeing a call up to Stuart Pearce's England U21 set up.

But of course none of this has occurred on the quiet, and the midfielder has attracted the attention of a string of championship and premier league clubs, posing the question to Reds fans, how long can we hold on to Jacob Butterfield?

The Potential
Those in the know at Oakwell touted the youngster to really push on this season following an ok previous campaign. The midfielder showed glimpses of brilliance last term, but failed to find a comfortable position within the four man midfield and would often go missing in games, often being shoved out wide to compensate for injuries.

After scoring 2 goals and stinging the gloves of many a keeper, it was clear for many to see that Butterfield could potentially be a big part of the team in the forthcoming season, providing that he found consistent form.