Team news

Cotterill set for Tykes inclusion Barnsley's latest signing David Cotterill is expected to start on the substitutes' bench against Portsmouth.

Winger Cotterill, 24, completed his move to Oakwell until the end of the season this week, but is short of match fitness following his release from Swansea last month.

Another recent signing, former Orient skipper Stephen Dawson (ankle), is hoping to be in contention for his first appearance and could also be included on the bench.

Defender Bobby Hassell sustained a knee injury in training this week and will be sidelined for a fortnight, but winger Jim O'Brien is pushing for his first start since Boxing Day.

He stepped off the bench in the midweek defeat at Burnley after recovering from a niggling groin injury.

Barnsley slipped to back-to-back away defeats last week and are 12 points adrift of the play-offs.

Portsmouth have an injury crisis.

Kelvin Etuhu sustained a hamstring injury and fellow midfielder Liam Lawrence picked up a calf problem during Tuesday's 1-0 home defeat to Ipswich and have joined three team-mates on the sidelines, leaving manager Michael Appleton with just 14 players at his disposal. Veteran striker Kanu continues to struggle with a back injury and is unlikely to return against the Tykes.

Midfielder David Norris is still making his way back from a double hernia operation and forward Luke Varney is building up his fitness after two months on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Defender Ricardo Rocha (calf), Greg Halford (knee) and Joel Ward (hip) are also doubts. Appleton had spoken of his desire to rest Marko Futacs, but the ever-extending injury list is likely to see the striker occupying a starting berth again.

Barnsley vs Portsmouth

Last modified 19:10 18/02/12

Pompey crisis deepens with defeat Crisis club Portsmouth's turbulent week sunk to a new low as the stricken south-coast side dropped into the npower Championship relegation zone with a 2-0 defeat at Barnsley.

Just over 24 hours after entering administration for a second time in two years, debt-ridden Pompey battled bravely with 10 men following Dave Kitson's red card in the first half before goals in the last 15 minutes from Jim O'Brien and Matt Done consigned them to defeat.

Portsmouth administrator Trevor Birch watched on from the main stand at Oakwell as around 400 travelling supporters chanted `we will never die', but the immediate future looks bleak for the 2008 FA Cup winners, who are now in the bottom three having yesterday been docked 10 points.

Pompey boss Michael Appleton could only name three players on the bench, including goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown, and Kitson's soft red card for two bookable offence left them with a mountain to climb at Oakwell.

Portsmouth are now without a win in four matches, while victory for Barnsley got them back on track after successive defeats.

Craig Davies came agonisingly close to giving the Tykes a fifth-minute lead when he controlled the ball on his chest and beat Pompey goalkeeper Stephen Henderson with a dipping 20-yard shot that rattled the crossbar.

But that was a rare moment of quality in a dire first half, with Pompey's sole opportunity coming after 18 minutes when Joel Ward raced away down the right wing and his cross fell nicely for Erik Huseklepp, but the Norway forward fired wide at the back post from just inside the penalty area.

But the biggest talking point of the first half came three minutes before the break, when Kitson went in late on midfielder Corey Smith and referee Eddie Idlerton wasted no time in showing the former Reading striker a second yellow card.

Barnsley were still lacking ideas going forward but they were almost gifted the lead 53 minutes in, when Ricardo Rocha's header was heading into his own net before Henderson intervened by tipping the ball around the post.

But Pompey were far from being overrun and the lively Ward almost caught out Luke Steele with a vicious right-foot drive that the Tykes keeper palmed away for a corner.

Appleton's side looked destined to secure at least a point but Barnsley finally broke the deadlock with a goal from out of the blue 15 minutes from time as O'Brien let fly with his right foot from 20 yards out and found the bottom-left corner.