Good evening football fans! The Friday night feature in the Championship this week sees Ipswich host Barnsley in Suffolk. Kickoff is in 30 minutes, let's get straight to the teams...

IPSWICH XI: Gerken; Chambers, Smith, Berra, Cresswell; Anderson, Hyam, Skuse, Tunnicliffe; Murphy, McGoldrick

BARNSLEY XI: Butland; Kennedy, Cranie, M'voto, Wiseman; McCourt, Perkins, Fox, Mellis; O'Grady, Pedersen

SUBS! And the two substitute benches this evening:

IPSWICH: Loach, Hewitt, Mings, Edwards, Tabb, Taylor, Nouble
BARNSLEY: Hassell, O'Brien, Dibble, Scotland, Cywka, Etuhu, Jennings

Unchanged XIs it is from both Mick McCarthy and David Flitcroft. The two sides both managed 1-1 draws last weekend against Bolton and Sheffield Wednesday but neither manager opts to shake up his side.

McCarthy could have brought Paul Taylor back into his side after the forward returned for a month-long loan at former club Peterborough, but he only makes the bench. Expect him to feature at some stage tonight.

REFEREE WATCH! The man with the whistle tonight is Andy D'Urso.

Both matches between these sides finished as 1-1 draws last season but if you go a little further back to the season before you'll find a cracker of a game in Barnsley that finished 5-3 to Ipswich after Barnsley had gone in 2-0 up at half time! Goals and highlights below:

As mentioned above, Ipswich have been strong at home this season. They've won four of six in front of their own fans but only won once on their travels in 2013. Barnsley have lost all six games away this season so you'd have to say that Ipswich are rightly favourites.

Today marks exactly a year in charge for McCarthy at Portman Road. He's done a stellar job with the club after taking over with the club bottom and guiding them to a mid-table finish last term. When asked by Sky Sports News how he feels, he replies: "Let's hope I am celebrating a year in charge. I'll only be celebrating if we win."

PREDICTION TIME! Just 10 minutes separates us from kickoff at Portman Road so it's time for my thoughts on the 90 minutes ahead. You have to fancy Ipswich and they've been banging in the goals at home this season so I'm going to say 3-1 to the home side.

Click here to see the table ahead of the match. Barnsley 23rd, Ipswich 14th.

Flitcroft says that his side have been starting games well but not finishing so strongly. He insists that they are getting fitter and that they have put a lot of work in to sorting out their dismal away record.

Here come the two sides out of the tunnel. They're both in their home colours of blue and white for Ipswich and red tops and black shorts for Barnsley.

If I had to pick one player out of each team to look out for I'd say Ipswich's top scorer McGoldrick and creative winger Paddy McCourt for Barnsley.

KICKOFF! Barnsley get us underway at a rather empty Portman Road.

Ipswich work the ball neatly in the right corner before Manchester United loanee Tunnicliffe sends over a cross that is cleared out by Perkins. These two sides are playing very similar traditional 4-4-2 systems tonight.

Smith's 40-yard header almost releases McGoldrick through the middle but it hits his shoulder inadvertently and runs safe for Barnsley.

Little quality in the match so far as both sides work each other out. Flitcroft has just been hit with a ricochet and that's probably the most entertaining thing that's happened so far!

It really is slow-going out there at the moment. Kennedy has just taken about 20 seconds to take a throw-in.

McCourt is known for his dribbling skills but he's just given it away and McGoldrick almost put through Murphy but Butland was quick off his line to clear the danger.

You have to say that Barnsley look more like the home side at the moment. They're being patient and calm on the ball but doing little with it in the final third.

Brief stoppage as Ipswich centre-back Smith receives treatment for a cut on his right eyebrow after an accidental clash with O'Grady.

Finally play resumes with Smith off the pitch still getting treatment. Looks like he might need stitches. Skuse has gone to right-back for the time being, with Chambers slotting across to his natural position of centre-half.

Smith comes back on with a bandage similar to that associated with Ipswich club legend Terry Butcher.

Barnsley almost work the ball over the top for Pedersen but Gerken is alert and just gets to the ball before the Norwegian.

Bit of Ipswich pressure as Tunnicliffe is left all alone down the left. He crosses hard and low for Murphy who can't get the ball under control.

Anderson goes down easily under the challenge of Cranie and this is a free kick for Ipswich in a great position for the excellent left foot of Cresswell to whip in...

Cresswell goes for goal instead of crossing and slaps it into the wall. O'Grady slices a clearance that loops the ball high into the air on the penalty spot. Smith goes in bravely and beats Butland to the ball but can only head over the bar. A chance of sorts, that.

And now Barnsley have their best chance as Pedersen almost ducks under Smith to get to a ball over the top. Gerken slides in to clear but kicks it straight to McCourt, whose first time shot from range is blocked en route to goal by Cresswell.

Good interplay from Ipswich down the left and Tunnicliffe has both Murphy and McGoldrick well positioned in the middle but his cross is weak.

Cranie gives the ball away and McGoldrick works it nicely to Cresswell, whose low cross takes a slight nick and almost creeps in at the near post, with Butland keeping it out.

Poor from McGoldrick as he elects to shoot from 25 yards instead of feeding it into Tunnicliffe, who was unmarked in the area.

CHANCE! Ipswich fans get on the team's back as they go backwards instead of forwards before Chambers's ball over the top finds McGoldrick. If the striker's first touch had been better it would have been a good chance but Barnsley half-clear. Cresswell then has the ball with loads of time out on the left and his vicious cross misses everyone in the middle, flashing across the six-yard box before going out.

CHANCE! Best chance of the match as Anderson swings over a corner that Chambers meets powerfully in the centre of the box. He climbed up well but couldn't keep the header down.

After Barnsley started well in the first quarter of an hour, it looks like Ipswich are the only side capable of creating a chance at the moment.

Ipswich are about to take a corner but they have to wait as Mellis stays down with what looks like a pulled muscle.

Flitcroft said in his pre-match interview that they'd been working on improving defending at set pieces but it doesn't look like it's worked. Murphy loses Cranie far too easily and plants Cresswell's header into the corner. Poor defending.

BARNSLEY SUB: Mellis is unable to continue and that sees Jim O'Brien come on.

Ipswich left-back Cresswell leads the Championship assist chart and he goes further ahead with that. You can see why he is often compared to Leighton Baines. Very similar style of play.

Murphy, McGoldrick and Anderson have linked up nicely a couple of times down the Ipswich right and they do so again, with the latter shooting on target but straight at Butland.

THREE minutes of time added on at the end of the first period.

The Tractor Boys go in one ahead at the interval after ending the half much the stronger.

As things stand in the Championship, Ipswich will be climbing up to ninth in the league.

Ipswich's attendances this year have been at their lowest for about a decade and the travelling support of Barnsley isn't helping. Here's a picture showing the few Tykes who have made the trip from Yorkshire to Suffolk.

STATS! Ipswich have just shaded the possession with 52% of the ball but dominated the shot count with eight to Barnsley's one. The Tractor Boys have only managed to get a quarter of those eight on target, though.

Will we see any half-time substitutions from either McCarthy or Flitcroft? I think that's unlikely but Flitcroft especially may want to change things soon if he wants to get anything out of this game. Will we see former Blue Jason Scotland come on?

Both sides back out and ready for the second period. As predicted, neither boss has made a half-time sub. Remember, Flitcroft has already made a sub because of Mellis's injury. O'Brien came on.

Fox looks for the run through the middle of O'Brien but Cresswell gets a toe to it that deflects it through to Gerken.

SAVE! Barnsley almost have an equaliser out of nowhere as O'Grady volleys at goal from 20 yards out, with Gerken making a smart save.

A hopeful ball over the top evades M'Voto and it looks like McGoldrick is in but Butland gets to the ball ahead of the Blues' top scorer.

It was a bit of a frantic first five minutes to start the second half but things have settled now. Which manager will blink first and make the first sub of the second half?

Ipswich are looking a little nervy at the back at the moment as Barnsley pile on the pressure. They have a corner...

Perkins's delivery is far too low though and McGoldrick hooks clear.

Little to speak of in the last five minutes. A high ball falls to Skuse who attempts an outrageous volley from 25 yards that bobbles harmlessly wide.

The attendance at Portman Road tonight is 18,361, with 175 away travelling Tykes. That's actually slightly higher than average this season.

IPSWICH SUB: McCarthy makes his first change of the night as Jay Tabb replaces Paul Anderson. That means that Tunnicliffe will switch over to the right.

The Tykes are level and it's the substitute O'Brien who scores. McCourt's clipped cross was flicked partially away by Smith to O'Brien who half-volleyed low and into the corner through the legs of Cresswell. Good finish.

Soon after the goal O'Brien fizzed a shot over, while up the other end Murphy just headed over from a Cresswell corner.

BARNSLEY SUB: The visitors bring on Scotland, who gets a warm reception from the home fans, for Pedersen.

GOOD TACKLE! Scotland almost makes an instant impact as he races clear on goal. He's about to pull the trigger but is denied by Berra's fine last-ditch challenge.

CHANCE! Chambers fires at goal from 25 yards and Butland can't hold on. The ball spills out and is almost pounced upon by Tabb.

BARNSLEY SUB: Final change for the visitors as McCourt comes off for Kelvin Etuhu.

IPSWICH SUBS: McCarthy with a final throw of the dice as Frank Nouble and Paul Taylor replace McGoldrick and Tunnicliffe.

It's really hard to say which side looks more like nicking three points here. Barnsley will be ecstatic with this if they can hold firm.

JUST WIDE! Big, big chance for Scotland to break Ipswich hearts. A deep free kick falls to the number nine whose low shot hits the side-netting.

CHANCE! What a chance for Barnsley to snatch it! O'Brien beats the offside trap and just has Gerken to beat but tamely hits it straight at the Tractor Boys' keeper.

Ipswich now have a chance as Tabb's volley is deflected and almost bobbles into the path of Nouble, who slides in but just can't stretch his legs long enough.

THREE minutes of time added on. Both sides going for it!

PENALTY APPEAL! Nouble wants a late penalty as he backs into M'Voto before rolling the defender and going down. D'Urso says no and that was the right call, would have been so, so soft.

It's a third 1-1 draw between the two sides and in all honesty Barnsley will feel that they should have won it after a stronger second half.

Thanks for joining Sports Mole tonight. Click here to see where the two clubs are in the table after tonight's match and make sure you come back tomorrow for the usual Saturday madness. Until then!