COREY O’Keeffe was happy to net the winner on Saturday just as competition for his place appeared to be hotting up.
O’Keeffe has been the first choice right wing-back in recent weeks after sharing the role with Barry Cotter in the early months of the season.
But the arrival of towering centre-back Donovan Pines is expected to move Jordan Williams out of the back three and into competition to play in his previous position on the right wing.
“It’s good timing,” O’Keeffe told the Chronicle about his goal.
“But competition is always good. Everyone will keep working hard. Everyone wants to play, especially in a team that is doing well.
“I am feeling better and better with every game. I am getting more confident.
“The gaffer is finding more confidence in me. I just want to keep adding to the team with goals and assists and good performances.
“Someone like Donovan coming in is brilliant. He looks decent, he looks big anyway. The back three have done brilliantly but he’s different and can only help us.”
Barnsley are in the top six and on good form going into the final 20 games of the season.
O’Keeffe said: “We are where we want to be. We want to be higher in the league but I mean with our form.
“There is a good spirit in the camp, training has been brilliant and it shows in games.
“If we keep churning out results, hopefully teams around us drop off. The gaffer has been on to us about putting a 90-minute performance in but we’ve shown we can get through games.”
O’Keeffe scored five minutes after Bristol Rovers levelled, finding the bottom left corner after a fine assist by Adam Phillips.
“I am buzzing with that. I wanted to score for a while now.
“My last goal was a couple of months ago now. So I am delighted.
“Phillo said he would get me an assist because he’s been giving it me loads in training and I said: ‘make sure you do it on Saturday then.’ When he got the ball I thought he would shoot so, when he chopped, I thought I was offside. So I had come back a bit then he rolled it me and I put it across the goal.”
