Barnsley: Alex Mowatt closes in on Reds return

Mowatt withdrew from the 2-0 South Yorkshire derby defeat at Sheffield Wednesday after suffering a strain to his side, but assistant head coach Chris Stern says the former Leeds man was to be assessed after training on Monday.

“We have a chance for him to play,” said Stern. “He is being assessed and we’ll see how fit he feels and how he performs in training. We’ll make a decision after all the opinions from the medical staff and coaching staff.

“If players get injured or not able to play, we need to have replacements. Alex is a key player so we cannot replace him 100 per cent, but we have to have someone on the pitch to fill the gap.”

In line for their debuts are striker Patrick Schmidt and left-sided winger Clarke Odour, who both joined the club on deadline day, as the Reds head to St Andrew’s having won both of their two previous visits.

“I was told we have a very good record against Birmingham, especially away,” he added.

“We hope we can keep our good record but it’s a totally different game. For them, they’re hoping to show a different performance compared to the weekend. But it’s a new game and we need to be aware of that.

“We need to be alert. The chance is there to take three points and we’re good enough to take it.”