MAX WATTERS is delighted to be back in the Barnsley team and on the scoresheet after a ‘tough’ experience last season.

The striker, who signed permanently last year on a three-year deal after an initial loan, endured a poor first full season at Oakwell – being dropped to the under 21s for the second half of it having struggled to make an impact.

But he has featured much more regularly under Darrell Clarke, netting twice in August then, after a spell out through injury, scoring a 96th-minute leveller against Charlton Athletic on Tuesday night. Watters told the Chronicle: “It was tough not being involved in the first team. You have to keep working hard and wait for opportunities. In football, you will always get knocks and put down. It’s not an easy job. It’s how you come out of it.

“You have to be mentally strong and work hard.”

On Clarke, Watters said: “He’s a really good man-manager. He knows how to get the best out of players. Every player needs something and he knows exactly what that is. He likes to get to know his players more than just on a football level.

“I think that’s really good that he can put his arm around someone and he will know how to get the best out of them.”

Watters found the bottom corner of Charlton’s net to salvage a point, having been brought on 20 minutes earlier.

“It was really good to be back with the team on the pitch after being out for four weeks with an injury.

“I was brought on to change the game and hopefully get a goal, and that’s what I did. It was a good feeling but it’s just unfortunate it wasn’t the winner.

“It’s been a good start to the season, other than the injures. I just have to keep working hard to get back into the team. Hopefully I can do well this season with the manager and what he wants to do. It suits me and a lot of the other attackers in the team. We all have different strengths. Everyone brings something different. The manager has plenty of choose from and hopefully we can all show what we can do.”