Our prediction for this League 1 match:
Morecambe and Barnsley square off against each other at the Mazuma Stadium on day 15 of the new League One campaign. The Shrimps are stuck at the bottom with only eight points on their account, but Saturday’s game could be the turning point for the home team. Arthur Gnahoua serves the last of his three-game ban, while both Courtney Duffus and Max Melbourne remain in the recovery room.
The Tykes, on the other hand, aim to stay in the playoffs berth, but seeing that the rock-bottom hosts are desperate to grab something from the match, we are tempted to put our money on draw. There are no fresh injury worries in the away side ahead of the trip to Lancashire. This will be the first meeting between the two sides since August 2017 when Barnsley recorded a thrilling 4-3 win over Morecambe in the EFL Trophy.
Highlighted Player (Anthony O\\\'Connor):
Born in Cork, the Republic of Ireland on October 25, 1992, Anthony O’Connor is a professional footballer who plays for Bradford City as a defender. His primary position is a centre-back, but he is used as both right-back and defensive midfielder as well.
The Irish footballer is a product of the Blackburn Rovers football academy, but he did not see any game action with the Riversiders at senior level. After ending his loan spells with the likes of Burton Albion, Torquay United, and Plymouth Argyle, Anthony O’Connor signed a permanent deal with the Pilgrims in 2015. At the end of the 2014/2015 season, O’Connor returned to Burton, signing a two-year contract with the Brewers.
In the summer of 2016, he moved to Scotland Premier League club Aberdeen where he scored five goals in 61 league appearances. In June 2018 he joined League Two side Bradford City. It has to be noted that Anthony O’Connor has eight caps with the Republic of Ireland U21 team.
Highlighted Team (Barnsley):
Barnsley are an English club nicknamed the Tykes. The club was founded in 1887 and it has to be noted that they spend more seasons in the Championship than any other club in the history. The Tykes played in the Sheffield and District League from 1890, but in 1895 they were part of the Midland League. Barnsley play their home games at Oakwell, the stadium that was built in 1887.
The capacity of the stadium is 23,009 and it was opened back in 1888, just one year after the club’s foundation. The Tykes made it to the FA Cup final in 1910, but Newcastle United proved to be a big catch for the Oakwell outfit in the title game.
Nonetheless, Barnsley won the FA cup trophy in 1912 and that is considered the club’s biggest success. Barnsley defeated West Bromwich Albion in the two-legged tie (0-0, 1-0) to clinch the prestigious trophy for the first and only time in their history.