Barnsley must ensure Saturday is not happy watching for Stockport County and Aston Villa: View | OneFootball

Barnsley take on Stockport County on Saturday and have to find a way to stop Aston Villa loanee, Louie Barry who is in fine form.

Stockport County travel to Oakwell on Saturday evening for the first time since 2004. The Hatters take on third-placed Barnsley with forward Louie Barry on a great scoring streak and the Tykes faced with a job on their hands to keep the Aston Villa loanee quiet.

Saturday's League One fixture sees Barnsley entertain seventh-placed County in what will be one of the first true tests of Darrell Clarke's tenure so far. Stockport County have scored in every game they have played this season and will pose a threat to a Barnsley side who have only won once in the league at home since 24th February 2024, a run stretching eleven games.

County forward Barry has five goals in seven appearances in all competitions already this season while Barnsley have struggled to keep clean sheets, only doing so once in League One.

Barry enjoying life at Edgeley Park

Since first joining on loan from Aston Villa in July 2023, Barry has been prolific, netting 14 times in 29 appearances. After scoring three eye-catching goals in the first month of this season, Barry won August's Sky Bet League One Player of the Month award.

In his first season at Edgeley Park, Barry was in sensational form, scoring in all five of County's September games and assisting two more goals, which won him the Sky Bet League Two Player of the Month award for September. His manager, Dave Challinor, also won the League Two Manager of the Month award that same month.

Injury kept Barry out for several months of last season, but since returning to fitness and then heading back to Edgeley Park in the summer, he has continued where he left off and appears to be settling into life in League One, helping Stockport start well to life in the third tier of English football.

Clarke has challenged his Barnsley side to stop being “flaky”, a term he has used to describe some of his side's performances this season. The Tykes showed guts to grind out a last-minute winner at Burton in their last league fixture, a game that came off the back of two heavy defeats in the League and Cup against Stevenage and Manchester United.

Barnsley's only clean sheets this season have come away at Crawley in League One and at home to rivals Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup.

So far this season at Oakwell, Barnsley lost their opening league fixture to Mansfield 2-1, blew a two-goal lead against Northampton Town to draw 2-2, but managed to beat Bristol Rovers 2-1. Clarke knows for his side to challenge for promotion, a strong home form is absolutely necessary, but the Tykes can only achieve this by keeping clean sheets.

Barnsley will have to be at their best on Saturday if they are to do what no other side has managed this season and stop Stockport from scoring. Barry and fellow forward Kyle Wootton are in fine form, with Wootton scoring three times and assisting twice in seven games.

If the Oakwell outfit are to stop County, then keeping Barry quiet is going to be vital. Indeed, Clarke's side will want to ensure that Saturday is not good viewing for Stockport and Aston Villa supporters alike.