Ahead of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Area semi-final clash with Wigan Athletic on Saturday, Sam Winnall addressed the media about the task ahead.
The carrot of a trip to Wembley still hangs in front of the Reds and the striker feels a cup final date would be just rewards for the Barnsley fans.
“We’ve gone into every game in the JPT and seen it as a road to Wembley,” he said. “There’s a lot of players in our squad that have never played there and it would be a fantastic day out on a personal level.
“It would be great for the fans to have a day out at Wembley. We know it will be a tough test because they’re a really good team but we believe we can win it.
“It’s an old cliché but the next game is the most important one. We want to get to the final and if we get through that, we’ll see who we get in the area final.
“Every game is just as important as the other and we want to turn our league form into the way we’ve been playing in the cup.
“I’ve been to Wembley as a fan and I’m sure the fans will want a day out there. For a player, it’s something not many get to achieve so it’s something to tick off the bucket list,” he added.
Winnall reflected on the draw against Sheffield United last weekend and feels that the draw could be a big result heading forward.
He said: “It was a massive result, not just for fans but for us as well because I think it was the first time in a long time we really showed a bit of grit and had to dig deep.
“Thankfully it fell to Conor’s left and it flew in and it’s given us all a boost. Training this week has been very good and bright and hopefully it’s given us a boost heading into this weekend.”
“It was a special feeling because you don’t want to lose in the big games and to get the equaliser felt like a win and you could tell from the atmosphere in the ground, it felt like a season turner.”
The striker feels the performances have been improving and that this too could help to get the Reds out of the bottom four.
“Touch wood, they seem to be over,” Winnall added. “We’re starting to find our performances and play some decent stuff. We’re starting to bring our quality on the pitch and it’s time to turn that quality into results.
"The game against Sheffield United was a bit different in the sense it was a battle that we needed to get a result from and we did."
Adam Hammill’s return to Oakwell has brought more scoring opportunities and Winnall is thriving on the chances he is providing.
Winnall remarked: “It’s been a massive boost for everyone and it’s great for the fans because he’s been here before. I knew him personally when I was at Wolves and he was a mate of mine.
“It’s great to see him back at the club and his quality in wide areas is something that I’m going to benefit from. I hope he’s enjoying his time here as much as we’re enjoying having him.”
Despite having seven goals to his name, Winnall insisted that he wants to add more to his game and is still looking for improvements.
“I’ll never be happy with where I’m at, I would have liked to score more goals but there’s always areas to improve.
“The main thing is to get in the right area and hopefully, Adam and Conor will find me so I can score a few more goals.”
