A round-up of some Barnsley FC related stories.
CLARKE ON FINISHING AND POSSIBLE JANUARY PLANS
Darrell Clarke admits he wanted to pummel some walls within Oakwell after Saturday’s FA Cup loss but will instead channel his frustration into helping his team to finish more of their chances.
The Reds had 30 shots against Bristol Rovers but lost on penalties after a 0-0 draw, while they have scored twice from 70 shots across the last three games.
Clarke said: “It’s a frustrating weekend. You want to beat a few walls up and go mad. But we have to get on with it and not feel sorry for ourselves. I say to my players all the time: don’t be victims. We don’t want to be known as a team who play decent football but don’t finish our chances. Let’s do something about it.”
He added: “We’ve got to be better in the final third, finish chances and look after the ball better. We have an honest group and I really enjoy coaching them. I was very angry on Saturday after the game. We have to get better, myself and the coaches are working on it constantly to make sure we score more goals.”
Could the answers lie in the January transfer window?
Clarke said: “I believe in our players but we always want support. We’ve been discussing for weeks areas we need to strengthen. As a collective we need to take more chances – centre halves, midfielders and wing-backs are missing chances as well. I’ve been brought in to build something long-term and all the time I am looking at the squad and studying it. Talks are continuing.”
BENSON TO PLAY FOR U21S, WATTERS NOT YET IN FULL TRAINING
Josh Benson is set to play for Barnsley under 21s tomorrow while Max Watters is ‘back on the grass’ but not fully training yet.
Midfielder Benson has not played since October while striker Watters sustained an injury last month at Cambridge. Benson is due to play for the under 21s against Fleetwood Town from 2pm on Tuesday on the Oakwell training pitch.
Barnsley under 18s lost 2–0 at home to Coventry City on Saturday. They are now due to visit Hull City on Saturday.
LOANEES SHEPHERD AND DALLAS COULD FACE EACH OTHER
TWO BARNSLEY loanees could face each other on Tuesday night.
Bradford City, for whom Jack Shepherd has impressed in defence this season, host a League Two game against Barrow for whom Andy Dallas has four goals this season.
Shepherd played in Bradford’s 1-0 FA Cup loss at Morecambe on Sunday.
Kacper Lopata missed Ross County’s 5-0 loss at Celtic through injury.
Bayley McCann and Jonathan Bland started Peterborough Sports’ 2-2 draw with South Shields.
Kieren Flavell played in Farsley Celtic’s 4-1 loss at Oxford City.
DEBUTANT SAVES PENALTY IN WOMEN’S DRAW
Barnsley FC women drew at one of their fellow relegation-battlers and now visit another on Sunday – while experiencing similar problems in front of goal to the men’s team.
The Reds drew at York City, leaving them sixth in the 12-team National League Division One North table. They are in the top half but just two points clear of the two-team relegation zone.
Barnsley, who have 11 points from ten games – and five from their last three – are now due to visit bottom club AFC Fylde on Sunday.
At York, the hosts took an early lead but Alayna Millard levelled on 73 minutes. Debutant goalkeeper Nyla Peterkin – who signed on loan from Rugby – saved a penalty in the 88th minute.
Horsley said: “It was frustrating.
“We had so many shots and couldn’t hit the back of the net.
“I have watched the men and they are exactly the same.
“They are having all the possession and shots.
“Sometimes it doesn’t go in at all levels of football.
“They are under a little bit more pressure than us.
“For us, earlier in the season we were struggling to create chances and we’ve worked really hard on that. We are creating a lot more chances now which is pleasing.”
