Derby County will go into tonight's clash with Charlton Athletic knowing that picking up three points is a must, with Bolton Wanderers waiting in the wings eager for another Rams slip-up.

Bolton could well leapfrog Paul Warne's men to second spot in League One if Derby end up succumbing to a second league defeat on the spin at the hands of the Addicks, the visitors to Pride Park desperately need to turn around their fortunes too sitting near the bottom of the division.

There could well be various changes made to get an immediate reaction out of his stuttering troops, knowing that a win is vital to ensure they remain in the driver's seat over automatic promotion.

Kane Wilson could be one notable casualty from Warne's lineup as a result, with the Derby defender below-par throughout at Barnsley in the disappointing 2-1 defeat.

Kane Wilson's performance vs Barnsley in numbers

The Derby number two was nowhere near his best away at Oakwell, with the 23-year-old defender quiet for large portions of the game.

The former Bristol City full-back would only amass a meagre 39 touches in the tense contest, coming in with eight less touches than the Rams goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith on the day.

Only registering one accurate cross across his lacklustre 90 minutes, on top of only accurately completing 13 passes, Wilson had an afternoon to forget versus Neill Collins' promotion-seeking Barnsley.

Losing possession 14 times as well, which allowed the likes of Nicky Cadden to terrorise the Rams' defence, Wilson's cemented first-team spot could now be on shaky ground for tonight's clash against Nathan Jones' Charlton.

Wilson isn't the only member of the starting XI that started the narrow defeat at Oakwell that could now drop out, with experienced captain Conor Hourihane at risk of being axed by Warne tonight despite picking up an assist versus the Tykes.

Conor Hourihane's performance vs Barnsley in numbers

Hourihane didn't cover himself in much glory against Barnsley minus assisting Sonny Bradley's opener, with the ex-Aston Villa midfielder hauled off by Warne just after the hour mark.

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The Republic of Ireland international was equally as wayward with his passing compared to Wilson, losing possession 16 times in the centre of the park to the detriment of the automatic promotion candidates on their travels.

Winning just one of his five duels at Oakwell also, Hourihane's fixed position in midfield could be up for grabs tonight with the likes of Korey Smith sniffing around for a starting spot at the expense of the experienced 33-year-old.

Minutes played

61

Assists

1

Touches

43

Accurate passes

20/27 (74%)

Accurate crosses

2/6

Successful dribbles

0/2

Duels won

1/5

Completing zero successful dribbles up against the Tykes, with the hosts now just three points shy of the Rams off the back of this slim defeat, Hourihane was flat and could well be given a rare day off against Charlton consequently – the Irishman present in 31 of Derby's 34 League contests to date.

Given a 4.5/10 rating by DerbyshireLive journalist Leigh Curtis post-match when assessing the Barnsley loss – with Curtis stating that Hourihane 'found it hard to stamp his authority' against his former employers – the time could be right to give the veteran a breather at Pride Park for fresh blood to start.

Warne will just keep his fingers crossed that Derby aren't derailed by the defeat on the road to the Tykes whatever lineup is fielded, responding to the 2-1 loss by confidently dispatching of Charlton with ease.