JOSH Benson said it was ‘brilliant’ to make his first league start in 17 months on Saturday - but admits all that matters was the result.
The 25-year-old has had a torrid time at Oakwell since signing from Burnley in 2021.
He has been injury prone and has faced long spells out on the sideline.
But he started in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Mansfield at the One Call Stadium - his first league start since October 2023 in a 1-1 draw away at Leyton Orient.
He said: “It’s been a long while since I’ve been out there.
“It was brilliant to be back out there.
“I’d been mentally tough.
“But it’s brilliant.
“Conor has put trust in me, even putting me out at right-wing-back.
“I enjoy it there.
“It’s a brilliant feeling to be back out there.
“It’s been really tough but I loved every minute other than the result.”
Benson scored the equaliser for the Reds, with a lovely finish after a flowing move from left to right.
He added: “The goal meant a lot to me but at the end of the day we still lost the game so that’s all I care about.
“There’s no better feeling than scoring a goal so it meant a lot but it’s the final result that matters and the performance as well.
“I feel we needed to better on the ball.
“It was just one of those games, it was an ugly game.”
The midfielder admits it has been frustrating on the sidelines watching his teammates play week-in-week-out - but he’s now got his eyes set on a prolonged spell in the starting 11 after a generally impressive performance at the weekend.
“I’ve had a lot of support,” he said.
“My family have supported me really well.
“And the boys have supported me – they know I want to be out there playing.
“It’s not like I don’t want to be playing.
“I want to be out there every day.
“I love playing football – it’s my dream.”
Benson’s contract runs out in the summer - and he knows how important the final nine league games will be for his career.
He added: “That’s the game.
“I want to get as many games in as possible and show what I can do.
“I’ll then see what happens.
“I know my ability but that’s made it even more frustrating.
“I just want to be out there and show what I can do.
“I’ve had to be mentally strong and carry on.”
