Winger keen to enhance Barnsley's promotion push and end Leeds' unbeaten run in the process..
Barnsley winger Adam Hammill feels the Reds will be out to show Leeds United “who is boss,” when they welcome the Whites to Oakwell on Saturday.
The winger scored a wonderful goal when the Reds hosted Leeds United in 2010 in a 5-2 rout, skipping beyond several defenders before firing home from the edge of the box in front of the Ponty End.
The Reds have a very good record against the Whites and have only lost one of their last five Championship matches at Oakwell against them.
Hammill would like a repeat of that scoreline and recalled the fond memories he has of his goal, but for him, the most important thing is stamping their authority on the game and killing any Leeds momentum.
He said: “Fans still talk to me about it, I have good memories of that game and I wouldn’t mind that again.
“We’re not putting pressure on ourselves, we’re just looking forward to what’s going to be an amazing spectacle it’s a great team, Leeds United is a massive name in football but they’re coming onto our territory and it’s time for us to show them who’s boss.”
Hammill called on the fans to turn out in their numbers and roar the Reds on to a victory against the Whites.
He added that some fans may have been amazed with how well the Reds have taken to life back in the Championship, but insisted the players have not been surprised with how well they have played.
“The fans are going to be vital on Saturday and will be the 12th man," Hammill asserted. "Hopefully they’ll come out in their numbers and show us their support.
“They‘ve been magnificent all season and you can see they have appreciated the effort we’ve put in and what we’ve done this season.
“We might have surprised one or two people but we haven’t surprised ourselves, we’re not settling for that. We are paid well enough to be professional and represent this great Club. The dressing room has never been stronger.
“The fans know how good we can be and it’s about going out on Saturday, putting on a performance to make the fans proud and show the management staff what we’re about, fast, furious at times and competitive.”
Despite suffering defeat last time out to Fulham, Hammill insisted the Reds remained focused on finishing as high as they possibly can in the Championship table.
With the FA Cup defeat to Blackpool already out of his mind, he feels there is now a clear vision for the squad between now and the end of the season in pushing for the play-offs.
“To be honest, I don’t think our heads have turned, we’ve had two defeats but there is no better way than bouncing back with a victory in a local derby on Saturday under the lights.
“Fulham was obviously a big test and if I’m honest, they were one of the best teams we’ve played in the league all season and there is no shame in losing to them.
“The game could have gone differently if we’d have taken our chances but we’re playing in a league where if we don’t take them, we’ll be punished.
“It was a typical FA Cup game, you’ll get shocks but we’ve got one sole focus now for the rest of the season and we have to keep plugging away, ticking over and being as competitive as we can.
“We’re not looking to rest on our laurels and we have set about becoming better game by game and we’ve done that.
“We’ve come to a stage where we’re in a really good position and we don’t want to take our foot off the gas, we want to hit it hard and see how far we can go,” he added.
From a personal point of view, Hammill has had something of a stop-start last couple of months but takes pleasure in proving people wrong.
When asked about his recent form, Hammill responded: “It’s been a little bit frustrating but it’s part and parcel of football.
“I love it when people write me off because it adds fuel to the fire for me and it makes it sweeter every time I prove them wrong.
“So, write me off at your peril please, because I’ll be the one who gets the last laugh, as always.
"In all seriousness the lads have never been stronger, they're all in it together, we're a close knit bunch. There is still a lot of the core from last season that went on that unbelievable run, the team spirit is not in question at all, we're getting stronger game by game. Sometimes set-backs do make you stronger in the long run."
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