“The lads have got to understand…” – Tony Pulis on Yorkshire derby fans and the task ahead as Sheffield Wednesday look to extend remarkable Barnsley record

Sheffield remains in Tier 3 at the moment, meaning that fans will not be allowed back into the stadium at this present time, and the lack of supporters will be missed once again this afternoon when the Owls go up against their neighbours from Barnsley.

It won’t be a first rodeo for many of his players in terms of understanding the complexities of this encounter, and the Wednesday boss admits that he’ll be disappointed if they don’t.

He told The Star this week, “A lot of the players have been here and been through these derby matches anyway, so I’d be disappointed if they didn’t understand the importance of it beforehand.

“I’ve come up here, hoping that in these derby matches you get full houses and the support that you want.

“It has been difficult without supporters, but we have to get on with it.”

And it certainly won’t be easy against a Tykes side that have won two of their last three games, with Pulis admitting that they’ll be a hard team to face.

He added, “They’ve got a good identity, they’re very strong, very direct. They’re physically up at the top of the table in terms of the output they put in - so it’s going to be a tough game.

“We expect a tough game, and being a derby game we expect it to be even tougher.

“The lads have got to understand that physically it’s going to be a really, really tough game.”

Wednesday haven’t lost against Barnsley in any competition since a 1-0 win at Hillsborough for the Reds over a decade ago in 2009, and goals are to be expected given that there has only been one 0-0 draw in their 18 meetings since the start of 2006.

A win over 16th-placed Barnsley could potentially take the Owls up to 22nd in the Championship if other results go their way ahead of a big game against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening.

More Owls news

Tony Pulis hints at mini clearout at Sheffield Wednesday next month?

Could Börner, Dunkley or Westwood face Barnsley? – Pulis gives the latest

Pulis confirms contract offers for Sheffield Wednesday trio

Thank you for reading this article, one of dozens we publish every single day to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative coverage of YOUR club. This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to from the football team at The Star, please consider taking out a subscription to our sports-only package. You'll find all the details at https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions/sports.

Your support is much appreciated.