Reds boss Danny Wilson gave his thoughts to Barnsley Player after today’s 2-1 win over Port Vale at Oakwell.
An own goal by Vale’s goalkeeper and a deflected strike from Ben Pearson either side of half time secured the points for Wilson’s side.
“We needed to be strong and defend for our lives, to a certain degree,” said Wilson.
“When they’re throwing the kitchen sink at you when they’ve got nothing to lose - and it’s very difficult at times. Even in those positions, we still had that ability to counter-attack, maybe we didn’t make the most of it on a couple of occasions but, certainly the defensive side, it was very good. I’m just delighted to put up a back four like we did.
“I didn’t see the first goal. When it went in, I thought the ‘keeper had got it in his hand and I’d turned away! I didn’t realise it had gone in.
“The second one, it was great energy from young Ben. He broke some play up on the edge of our box and went forward. He got fortunate at the end with the deflection but he deserved that because of the tenacity he showed by driving forward.
“Those performances you’ve seen have highlighted why we’d like to keep him (Ben Pearson). With him playing games from the start, he’s enjoying himself at the moment and I’d like to think I’d be able to keep him.”
Today not only saw three points for the Reds, but a return to action from Sam Winnall was another highlight for everyone inside the stadium.
“We've missed him,” added Wilson. “It’s not easy to say we’ve missed one players but we have missed him. We’ve missed his goals and his energy. When he came on, he gave everybody a lift. Let’s hope he’s at the end of his little niggles injury-wise and we can keep him fit until the end of the season because he’ll be a great asset to us. It was good from the psychological side, to have him around us. It gave me a boost, I know that.”
