MIXED bag is the one phrase to explain Barnsley’s derby fortunes at League One degree in 2025-26.
Wins at their two closest rivals in Doncaster Rovers and Rotherham United have been offset by league defeats to each groups at Oakwell.
Honours had been shared with one victory apiece for the Reds and Huddersfield Town of their conferences, whereas the reverse fixture towards Bradford City resulted in a value-for-money 2-2 draw.
That recreation will perpetually be remembered for Reyes Cleary planting himself on the EFL map with a purpose of the season contender, with Hourihane hoping the stage is taken by somebody in dwelling colors on Saturday lunch-time within the Reds’ last White Rose derby of the marketing campaign.
Hourihane mentioned: “It was the springboard for the announcement of Reyes. He went onto have a really good kind of three/ four months after. This one should be a really good fiery Yorkshire derby.” The Reds boss has been mighty impressed by Bradford’s feats on their return to the third tier, with their home numbers singled out for special praise, with the Irishman admitting to a pang of jealousy.
He added: “The largest factor I’d most likely say I’d have liked to have created – that Bradford have – is the house environment/connection. “I feel they’ve actually acquired it going there. I do know their numbers are one thing that I’ve seen (at Barnsley earlier than), however perhaps once we had been within the Championship or within the play-offs in League One. “I perceive that we’ll discover that tough to search out them numbers proper now, however they’ve had a really, very constructive dwelling document/attendances over the past two seasons. It’s been the most effective atmospheres we have had on the street.”