Given no club has spent more time in English football's second tier, a level Chester have never reached, than Barnsley then it should not be a great surprise the two are relative strangers.
It has been almost 34 years since the last meeting between the clubs, a Sealand Road crowd of 4,680 saw Steve Ludlam score twice in a 2-2 draw on April 4, 1981.
Chester faced the Tykes in the FA Cup first round that year too, losing 2-1 at home in front of a crowd of over 7,000 but turn the clock back a little further and believers in fate might know this is not the first time the clubs have come up against each other in the second round.
In December 1979, a penalty from the late Paul Raynor sealed a 1-0 win for the Blues, who then shocked Newcastle United 2-0 at St James Park in the third round and beat Millwall 2-0 in round four before losing 2-1 at Ipswich Town in the fifth round.
Thanks mainly to a 10 year period between 1964 and 1974 when the two squared off regularly in the Fourth Division, the Blues hold the upper hand in head-to-heads.
When it comes to players, Luke Beckett's productive spell with the Blues in a difficult period makes him perhaps the most notable link between the clubs even though never made a first team appearance at Oakwell.
Kevin Ratcliffe signed Beckett on a free transfer in 1998 and scored 32 times in 84 appearances over the next two seasons.
His time at the Deva Stadium coincided with Terry Smith takeover so it was no surprise when Beckett turned down the American's crazy five-year contract offer after relegation in 2000 and decided to move to Chesterfield.
Older supporters might remember George Spruce, an elegant centre half who came from Chester but spent most of his career with the Tykes.
Born in April 1923, Spruce got his break with Wrexham, who had spotted him playing for Heath Rangers in the Chester & District League.
He spent the best part of four years at the Racecourse before signing for Barnsley in 1952, where he became an important part of the team and won the Division Three North title in 1954-55.
Spruce, who lived in Cliveden Road, joined his home-town club in 1956 and made 70 appearances before signing for Runcorn.
He had three brothers, including Phil, who also played for Wrexham, and Fred, who like their father served as the groundsman for the King's School. He died in October 1998.
