Reds Manager David Flitcroft wants his side to win for the supporters tomorrow, as Derby County come to Oakwell.
The Barnsley boss revealed to the press this morning that he was ‘overwhelmed’ with the amount of support he and his side received on Saturday, despite conceding six times.
“I’ve told the players yesterday that the fans deserve it (a victory),” said Flitcroft. “The way they stuck with the team, for me they’re not fans, they’re true supporters.
“If we don’t win it, we’re still not relegated. Obviously we’re planning on winning it. It was overwhelming.
“We’ve got a massive fight on our hands – the next four games. It’s all to play for.”
It was confirmed that defender Stephen Foster will miss the rest of the season with a calf tear, whilst appealing one of the two red cards is considered.
He (Stephen Foster) tore his calf with about 20 minutes to go.
“He’s going to be out for the rest of the season. Losing him is massive because his experience is invaluable.
“As for players coming back, as low as I was on Saturday, I had players coming into my office – Kelvin Etuhu, Rory Delap, Rob Edwards, Jim McNulty - all requesting injections so they’d be available for Tuesday. That’s a suggestion that they’re fighting.
“The Dawson one’s the one we’re most likely to challenge.
The TK (Tom Kennedy) one’s more clear. When I first saw it I thought he was further out. It’s a goal-scoring opportunity. We’d be daft to appeal his.
“There’s a real balancing act. Panicking and making the wrong decision could cost us on those players.”
The only good news is that defender Martin Cranie looks fit to feature against the Rams having recovered down at St George’s Park.
“He’s in contention to start tomorrow,” said Flitcroft of Cranie. “That’s a massive bonus for us. He’s been a consistent performer all season.
“He’s a footballer. He knows the game and he’s versatile – he can play left-back, right-back and as a sweeper. The club have backed us in sending him to George’s Park to help his recovery.”
Tomorrow’s visitors are still not yet mathematically safe from relegation, but boast ‘great players’ according to the Barnsley boss.
“They’ve got great players,” he continued. “Nigel’s been building a good project at Derby. He’s been solid, consistent and getting good pros in.
“They’ve just had an unpredictable season. It’s been a mixed season for a lot of teams and Derby have found themselves in that.
“Every Manager wants consistency, that’s what you live for. But for teams like Derby, Charlton, Barnsley and Birmingham, sometimes you get inconsistency and unpredictability.”
