COREY O’Keeffe has backed Barnsley’s ‘brilliant’ strikers to score ‘loads of goals’ this season.

The Reds missed a series of chances, mainly by their forward players, in a 3-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers on Saturday while the Oakwell club are thought to be looking to bring in at least one new striker in the January transfer window.

O’Keeffe told the Chronicle: “The strikers have been brilliant. There have been chances missed by everyone, not just the strikers.

“You look at Davo (top-scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn), and how many goals he’s scored.

“The players are in there and on the end of things.

“Some days it’s just not your day.

“They have been brilliant in training. Their finishing is brilliant.

“It will come and we’ll score loads of goals.”

Wing-back O’Keeffe has not scored this season, and only had three shots, but he has been prolific in setting up others. He recorded his seventh league assist of the campaign at the weekend when his free-kick was headed in by Josh Earl. Only Ryan Barnett of Wrexham has more assists in League One this season.

“I am happy with another assist but ultimately we want to win games.

“I want to help as much as I can by chipping in with assists but it’s frustrating not to win.”

On the reaction to Saturday’s defeat in general, O’Keeffe said: “The lads were gutted.

“We want to win every single game. But the gaffer says we need to take confidence from how we played.

“We had five or six clear-cut chances and, if we take two or three of them in the first half, it puts the game to bed.

“We just have to keep at it and we’ll be fine.”

Barnsley now host Stevenage on Saturday, hoping for a third successive home win.

“We’re definitely looking forward to playing in front of our fans and hopefully we put on a show for them.”