BARNSLEY have put young muscle into their strike force heading for Ipswich tonight.
Maceo Rigters, the rookie centre forward on loan from Blackburn Rovers returns to the squad, recovered from a hamstring problem ahead of schedule.
And Barnsley boss Simon Davey is taking teenage Oakwell academy duo, Reuben Lazarus and Jamil Adam, to Portman Road with the first team.
"We've had a bit of a boost with Maceo Rigters coming back. He's trained and is available," Davey explained. "Also I'm going to involve two young lads from the academy.
"I'm going to take Lazarus and Adam. Lazarus has just turned 15. When I was academy manager, I played him in the under 18 side when he was 12. He got a hat-trick at the weekend against Sheffield United. He's a player with exciting prospects. I always had the intention of bringing him into the first team at some stage this season. When better than after getting a hat-trick?"
Davey continued: "Jamil is another good player. He came out of Man City's academy at 16. He's had a first year scholarship, he's in his second year. He's played regularly for the reserves last season and scored quite a few.
"We gave him his debut at Cardiff City last season. He's still developing, he's not the finished article."
Barnsley have not scored in their last four games and Ipswich could be a step nearer the last chance saloon for Jon Macken, who missed a penalty on Saturday, and Iain Hume.
"You've got to give strikers time, they all go through barren spells but you have to be fair to those around the group as well," Davey declared.
"There will be an opportunity at Ipswich if our strikers don't fire. Substitutes will come on."
Davey dismissed weekend reports linking Barnsley with Dean Windass at Hull and Sunderland's David Connolly.
The Reds have still not won a game away from Oakwell this season so far and Davey is looking to break his 2007-8 duck against Ipswich, where he secured a draw last term.
"They have spent a lot of money. Made some good acquisitions in Kevin Lisbie and Jon Stead as front men, brought Ivan Campo in for his experience. They are a good side, like every team in this division. On any day anybody can beat anybody but they've not won at home this season so we have to make sure that we exploit that," he said.
Former Sheffield United striker Stead was another linked with an Oakwell move in the summer. Davey stressed that he was not interested in the ex-Blade.
For Ipswich, full-back Moritz Volz missed Saturday's draw with Crystal Palace and remains a doubt. Tommy Smith and Ben Thatcher are ruled out.
Barnsley from: Muller, Foster, Moore, Souza, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Colace, Devaney, de Silva, Leon, Hume, Macken, Odejayi, Steele, Hassell, Mostto, Rigters, Adam, Lazarus.
Ipswich: R Wright, Bruce, Naylor, McAuley, D Wright, Norris, Garvan, Shumulikoski, Campo, Miller, Walters, Lisbie, Stead, Counago, Supple, Balkestein, Volz.
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