City players have been warned not to be fooled by Barnsley's position at the foot of the table.The Tykes have won just one of their seven games, but City boss Glenn Roeder says that doesn't tell the whole story.

City players have been warned not to be fooled by Barnsley's position at the foot of the table.

The Tykes have won just one of their seven games, but City boss Glenn Roeder says that doesn't tell the whole story.

“Have you seen how many Barnsley have been losing by? 1-0, 1-0, 1-0 - they are bottom of the table because they have lost 1-0, they are not getting smacked,” said Roeder.

“It is only a few months ago they were in the semi-final of the FA Cup, and I looked at the team last week and there are not too many changes - in fact they have added (Iain) Hume to the team, who they paid over £1m for. They have not been weakened.”

Roeder's only double of last season was against Barnsley, who City beat 3-1 away in January and then 1-0 at home just six weeks later.

“We are very conscious that we have to be at our best and there last year was one of the best second 45 minutes of the season,” he said.

“We shouldn't have been down in the first half, but second half we were absolutely terrific and it could have been many more than the three that we scored.

The Canaries broke their away duck when they won at Plymouth a fortnight ago, but Roeder says that hasn't changed anything ahead of the trip to south Yorkshire.

“I don't think the pressure is any different from trying to win a home game or an away game,” he said. “All I know is that every successful team has a good away record. If you take Ipswich, they had automatic promotion form at home last year and relegation form away from home and in the end that just pulled them up short.

“To be successful you need more than a point a game, a point a game normally would keep you just above mid table. We need to be running points ahead of the games we have played.”

Roeder has taken City into the top half, but says he doesn't set targets.

“I just think football is such an unpredictable business, you start making goals as in monthly goals, or where you have to be at the end of this month - for me it is a waste of time, it's cup of tea talk,” he said. “There is only one thing that counts and that's winning the next game and the rest takes care of itself then. Keep winning the next game and you don't have to worry about where you are at the end of the month.”