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Reds out to end long wait
BARNSLEY face Middles brough tonight looking for their first away win against Boro since April 1992.
Granted the two clubs have only played each other six times since that victory, with their hosts having won four of those encounters before a move to the Premier League and then back down again to the Championship.
But the Reds did beat Boro at Oakwell back in late December and boss Mark Robins knows a third league victory on the bounce could see the club move within touching distance of the play-offs.
Robins' ever-improving side are now ninth in the table and that sixth away win would extend an impressive start to February which has seen the club score five goals and secure victories over Preston North End and Watford.
"We're up to ninth place now and three points from sixth, so you can draw you're own conclusions from it," said Robins after a his side's "hard-fought" 1-0 home win over the Hornets on Saturday.
"At the moment we're on a decent run and won three of our last four matches. We've got another difficult trip coming up on Tuesday night over to Middlesbrough, but we'll be without the services of Ryan Shotton.
"For me that's the disappointing thing from Saturday's performance. I'm bitterly disappointed we'll lose his services."
Shotton was sent-off in the 76th minute against the Hornets - his second red card of the season. He will therefore definitely miss tonight's Tyneside test.
"There's no doubting when you look at the fixtures there's a lot of hard games to play, so it doesn't help when you're losing some of your key players," added Robins.
"I keep harping on about it, but it's me looking beyond our win against Watford."
With defenders Bobby Hassell (groin) and Rob Kozluk (knee) both still injured, Robins will now have to decide whether to play midfielder Nathan Doyle at right-back.
Former Hull City ace Doyle slotted into the right-back role at the weekend when Shotton was sent-off, with Luke Potter another defensive option.
However asked whether he is now looking at the play-offs, Robins stressed: "I'm not looking at anything other than Middlesbrough, but it's (our position] a lot better than it was than when I took over. That's pleasing.
"The pleasing thing for me is that the players have done really well since I came here.
"There's been a few times you could say we've not hit the heights that we have done of late, but we went on an unbelievable (eight-game] run.
"At the turn of the year we lost our first three games and it was important we started to pick points up.
"We started that with the win against Leicester, had a good win against Preston and we back it up with a good win against Watford. That was important.
"When you look at the table now it's a lot happier reading for our supporters and for everyone connected with the club."
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
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Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
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