Wow! That really was close.

Cauley Woodrow almost equalises with the last kick of the half as he latches on to a ball through but sees his effort go narrowly wide.

The striker is claiming Ben Wilson has made the save and wants a corner but referee Lee Mason says no dice and that's half-time.

Very close to a second for Dominic Hyam and it's come from a throw-in again.

Sam McCallum launches it in and a Barnsley head flicks the ball on towards Hyam who meets it well but sees his effort rise over the bar.

How Mark Robins would have loved a second just before the break!

A free-kick given away by Coventry's Julien Dacosta gives Alex Mowatt another chance to test the home defence.

His cross from the left causes confusion and the ball flashes wide from Conor Chaplin.

Mowatt is starting to pull the strings and Barnsley are looking more comfortable after that early Coventry onslaught.

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Leo Ostigard has been in the goals recently for Coventry and you can tell he fancies another one today.

He does well to get on the end of a looping cross to get an effort on target but it's easily collected by Bradley Collins in the Barnsley goal.

Both sides are not afraid to pump it long today with neither getting their foot on the ball for any extended spells of possession.

It's all a bit frantic in the midfield as we approach the half hour.

First sign of danger for the hosts as Kyle McFadzean gives away a silly free-kick on the edge of his own box, blocking Daryl Dike off the ball.

Tykes skipper Alex Mowatt swings it in and a cluster of players rise but Coventry get the ball to safety.

Another warning sign comes soon after as Romal Palmer register's Barnsley's first effort on goal but Ben Wilson saves easily.

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Barnsley are caught out again as Coventry go direct to Max Biamou and Bradley Collins races out of his goal to clear the danger just in time.

Shortly before that, Leo Ostigard had headed over from Matty James's free-kick.

Still the Sky Blues making all the running in what's been a very positive start, but they need to capitalise further while they're on top here.

After a slow start the game has suddenly burst into life following that goal and its Coventry asking all the questions.

A corner causes more problems for the Tykes and a ball drops to goalscorer Dominic Hyam again but this time his shot is blocked.

Close to a second in the opening stages and it looks like Barnsley will have to weather an early storm.

It's been a quiet start in Birmingham.

The Tykes are in white today and have looked to striker Daryl Dike a few times in the early exchanges.

He's a powerful figure and will give the Coventry defence a few problems today you would expect.

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Barnsley get us under way in the sunshine after a minute's silence in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh.

A big game with implications at the top and the bottom of the table.

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It's a familiar looking line-up for Valerien Ismael's Tykes, with one change seeing Conor Chaplin, in for Dominik Frieser.

Daryl Dike will be looking to maintain the good form which has seen him hit eight Championship goals since joining on-loan from Orlando City in January.

Barnsley XI: Collins, Brittain, Sibbick, Helik, Andersen, Styles, Mowatt, Palmer, Chaplin, Woodrow, Dike.

Subs: Walton, J Williams, Oduor, Sollbauer, Halme, Moon, Frieser, Morris, Adeboyejo

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Coventry make two changes to the side which beat relegation rivals Rotherham on Thursday, with Max Biamou and Gustavo Hamer coming in to face the Tykes.

Liam Kelly captains the side and is joined in defence by Leo Ostigard, who has scored two in his last three, and the Sky Blues will also be looking to top-scorer Tyler Walker to add to his six league goals this term.

Coventry XI: Wilson, Ostigard, McFadzean, Kelly, Biamou, Hyam, Walker, McCallum, James, Dacosta, Hamer.

Subs: Marosi, Rose, Allen, O'Hare, Gyokeres, Bakayoko, Godden, Shipley, Eccles.

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Barnsley have a fantastic opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and play-off rivals Reading with victory over the Sky Blues today.

If Valerien Ismael's side take all three points this afternoon they will move seven points ahead of the seventh-placed Royals with only four games to play.

Reading are realistically the only side who can prevent Barnsley claiming a top six spot, after Cardiff threatened a late charge, only to see their form fall away in recent games.

Play-offs and potential promotion would represent a remarkable turnaround for the Tykes, who survived relegation by a single point last season.

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While their opponents look to move closer towards claiming a play-off spot, Mark Robins' side have an altogether different target today.

The battle to stay up has taken many twists and turns, with plenty more to come no doubt, but Coventry can take a big stride towards safety with a win at home today.

The Sky Blues are among the sides in the thick of a relegation scrap but have picked-up two wins in their last three, including a vital away win at Rotherham on Thursday, to give themselves a good chance of staying up.

Victory could move them up to 18th, and give them a nine-point cushion over Rotherham, who lost to Birmingham earlier today, in 22nd.

It's definitely looking like a five-horse race for the four play-off places.

If Barnsley win today then you'd probably say the line-up for next month has been finalised...

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We're going to turn our attentions to the day's second Championship game as Barnsley visit Coventry City.

Both teams need the points but for very different reasons.

To lead you through all the build up to that and the game itself, here's Steve Mather.

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Teemu Pukki's 25 Championship goals, second only to Brentford's Ivan Toney, have played a big part in Norwich's promotion campaign.

He is closing in on the 29 he scored in their 2018-19 title-winning campaign and says what the team have achieved this season is "something else".

"The fact it was five games before the end of the season when we got promoted tells the story of this year," he said.

"We are the best team in the league and now we just need to finish it in style. I'm so proud of the boys. It's never easy. You've seen it with other teams who've been relegated from the Premier League who haven't gone straight back up."

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In what has to go down as one of the more unusual ways to find out you are promoted to the Premier League, Canaries playmaker Emi Buendia said he had been sleeping, external when the news was confirmed.

He told the Norwich website:, external "I knew nothing about the results, so when I woke up and I saw my phone, I had about 20 missed calls, lots of messages of congratulations. I checked my phone and saw we were promoted, that was amazing."

The skilful Argentine enjoyed another profitable season, with his 28 goal contributions (13 goals, 15 assists) second only to Teemu Pukki, who currently has one more, with 25 of them goals.

Buendia has a growing list of admirers and despite opening the scoring in defeat against Bournemouth yesterday, he told BBC Radio Norfolk it was "probably the best loss in my life", adding: "This team wants to reach 100 points - we're ambitious and hopefully we keep going," he said.

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Norwich boss Daniel Farke dedicated their promotion back to the Premier League to the club's fans who had been unable to go to games this season due to Covid-19, saying he hoped his side had brought "some joy, fun and distraction" during a difficult year.

He told BBC Radio Norfolk: "During this pandemic many of them are fearing for their future, the financial impact, fearing for their job sometimes or their health, family members and friends. It's a tough time and...we wanted to make them happy."

The Canaries will secure the Championship title if they beat second-placed Watford at Carrow Road on Tuesday, but Farke said he was happy for his players to celebrate their success ahead of the match.

"I'm a bit too old for long celebrations and also, after a pretty long day, pretty exhausted and can't wait to sit on my sofa. [But] it's totally allowed - perhaps not the perfect preparation for Tuesday but the lads deserve it."