BARNSLEY get a final chance to get their dress rehearsals right when they face Chinese team Chengdu Blades at Oakwell on Saturday (3pm) in their last friendly before the League season starts.
It follows an eyebrow-raising 6-0 defeat by Premier League outfit Wigan on Tuesday and a 1-0 loss at the hands of troubled Rotherham United last week.
Indeed, the Reds are coming towards the end of a mixed run of results in their friendlies.
In other, major warm-up games they won 4-1 at Buxton then drew 2-2 at Glossop, lost 2-0 at Yeovil and were held 2-2 at York. The Reds fielded a young side in a 4-1 win at Sheffield FC.
But manager Simon Davey is likely to be unperturbed by the bare statistics of results.
All of his and the club's efforts will be geared towards getting form and fitness to peak when it really counts.
A good day for the Reds in the Championship opener at QPR a week on Saturday would eclipse all memories of summer ups and downs.
There will be no Daniel Nardiello in the QPR squad to face Davey's men.
The former Reds striker and his Rangers teammate Zesh Rehman have completed their move to Blackpool, who also get £250,000 in return for letting defender Kaspars Gorkss go to Loftus Road.
Nardiello has signed a two-year deal with an option for a further 12 months; Rehman has agreed to a six-month loan, with Blackpool also getting an option to sign him on a full deal.
Seasiders manager Simon Grayson said: "As part of the deal, we will be getting a couple of players in Zesh Rehman and Daniel Nardiello and money on top of that. It's nice it's been resolved.
"We've got two players who we think will benefit the club."
Gorkss, who looks set to make his league debut for QPR against the Reds, played for the second half of a 1-0 friendly defeat for Rangers at Kilmarnock, ahead of his transfer being finalised.
Sheffield FC v Sheffield Wednesday: CLICK HERE FOR MATCH REPORT AND SLIDESHOWWhat do you think? Post your comments below. READ MOREWhat chance have the Owls and Blades got when every new season brings new divisions of wealth: READ MARTIN SMITH ON SOCCER Football headlinesMore BladesMore OwlsMore SpireitesMore RoversMore RedsMore MillersMore Ice HockeyMore rugby leagueMore rugby unionMore boxingSports columnistsAll sport categoriesThe full article contains 440 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
