Dons are ‘becoming more like I know them,’ says Barnsley boss Duff

Barnsley boss Michael Duff has warned not to pay too much attention to MK Dons’ league position ahead of the game at Oakwell on Saturday.

While 13 positions separate the Tykes in eighth and Dons in 21st, Liam Manning’s side are beginning to look a more potent threat than their spot in the bottom four would suggest.

Duff, who came up against Manning’s Dons twice last season as Cheltenham manager, said the side from MK1 are looking more like the side from last season again in recent weeks, and warned against complacency.

He said: “They’re definitely becoming more like I know them, which was 3-4-3, really expansive. They keep the ball really, really well. Their identity is coming back, their performances are coming back. We know the challenge, we know it will be tough.

“It sounds like I’m not telling the truth because supporters will just look at the table. You’ve got to go into more detail than that. They’re starting to turn into what they were last year.

“They’ve got a good manager who improved them last year. His teams play really good, expansive football.

“If you just look at the league table, supporters will go ‘you’ll beat them’. But, if you look at their last few league performances, they should be 2 or 3-0 up against Derby last week. They’re the only team to go to Charlton and win.”