JOSH Earl admits he had deserved the mockery he was receiving from his team-mates before scoring his first Barnsley goal this week.
The 26-year-old defender joined the Reds in January from Fleetwood Town, and netted in his 40th game for them in midweek. He fired in the equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Reading.
Earl told the Chronicle: “They have been taking the Mickey out of me a bit about it and I think I deserve it to be fair. I am six foot four and I hadn’t scored in quite a lot of games.
“It’s something I definitely needed to improve on and hopefully now I can kick on a little bit.”
After not really threatening for most of the season, and often doing the ‘blocking’ role to give others chances from set plays, Earl saw a header cleared off the line against Wigan on Saturday. He scored in midweek and missed another chance when the goalkeeper flicked the ball and it bounced off the top of his head and over a few yards out. Earl said: “We have worked on some different corners as of late and had different roles. Maybe I wasn’t blocking for those two games which helps. Being more aggressive in the box is something I definitely need to add to my game. If I feel like I am being more aggressive attacking-wise, that will only help me defensively as well.”
Barnsley host Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup second round on Saturday – a third home game of the week after losing to Wigan and drawing with Reading in the league.
Earl said: “It doesn’t affect my performance but we all know we need to improve our home performances and results.
“We had this conversation last season as well. It’s in the back of our minds.”
Earl was part of a Fleetwood side which reached the fifth round last year, eventually losing to Burnley.
“We had a decent run. Days like that are enjoyable for fans and players.
“It’s either a lovely day at home or a nice away day.”
He added: “I used to love watching the FA Cup as a kid and all the upsets. It’s a great competition to play in.
“It’s brilliant for the fans, that’s almost the most important thing.
“We want to give them a good away day – hopefully not like Manchester United last time (a 7-0 loss in the EFL Cup).”
Barnsley had been unbeaten in five but collected just a point from their two games this week.
“If you perform well the results and points will come. Obviously we want to win and it doesn’t really matter how you win at some stages of the season.
“But, at this stage, it’s about getting performances going.
“We’ve improved massively since the international break. It’s just a case of being more clinical in both boxes.”
