Head Coach full of praise for the travelling Reds fans for backing the side until the very end.
Reds Head Coach Paul Heckingbottom praised the Barnsley fans for sticking with the side right until the final whistle in tonight’s 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
Despite the result, the head coach was impressed with the noise the Reds fans made throughout the game in spurring the team on.
He called on the fans to continue to back the side heading into a busy Christmas period and hopes the fans can continue to identify with the style of play the head coach has been trying to implement.
“I thought they were superb throughout. They respond to the players, they give everything and we try and play in a way that the fans can identify with.
“It made for a good derby, a really entertaining game, at times it was really end to end and I’m surprised there weren’t more goals.
“They’re all tough, every single game is and we know we have to be at our best to compete and try and get points.
“Even today, you play well. Wednesday were a good side and they took their chances and got the three points,” he said.
Heckingbottom added that the side cannot take tonight’s defeat to the Owls purely on face value.
He felt there were plenty of positives to take from the performance, but feels the Reds were not as clinical as their South Yorkshire rivals.
The head coach hopes the side can take the positives from the game and implement them against Cardiff City on Saturday.
He said: “I’m disappointed with the result obviously, but I’m satisfied with the performance and the application from the players.
“I thought we were good from the first to the last minute and kept our discipline at the end when no one knew what was going off.
“You get what you deserve, Wednesday won 2-0 and they deserved to win 2-0, they took their chances, even though they didn’t have one first half.
“Their only effort on target was from our boot and you know it’s frustrating but even then we thought we were in control of the game.
“While it was 1-0, we knew we’d be creating chances because we thought we were playing well, and we did, and you miss one, two or three chances and you get killed with a set play and that took the game away from us.”
The head coach felt the Reds were still in the game at one goal down and had enough opportunities to pull a goal back.
Heckingbottom added: “When you’re comfortable or playing well and you’re on top and you’re pushing, you’ve got to concentrate even more at the back and that’s the only way sometimes the opposition are going to get on the game and that’s how it felt on the sideline.
“They were just about to make a substitution because we were dominating, and then that goal as well, they change games but it didn’t change it too much.
“I’m still pleased with how we played and the second goal killed us."
Regarding Adam Hammill’s red card, the head coach admitted he was confused as to how the Owls finished the game with 11-men.
He also feels that his clash with Lee Bullen on the sidelines was silly and thinks he could suffer as a result of the altercation.
“I’ve not seen it," Heckingbottom said. "My frustration is I saw the referee give Sam (Hutchinson) a red card and I obviously didn’t know Adam had been sent off as well.
“I didn’t realise until I got upstairs when I thought ‘hold on, Wednesday have still got 11 players on the pitch,’ but I know I saw him give a red card. I thought they’d both been sent off.
“You can’t afford them, forget the result, that will be a player we’re missing for three games, obviously if it’s not worth appealing.
“We don’t carry a big squad as it is, we don’t want players missing games.”
“I think me and Bully will both end up suffering but it’s just mismanagement. I’m going to ask him what the rules are in the technical area.
“You don’t mind their staff being up during the game if the fourth official is going to let them do that, but when you turn around after an incident and see the fourth official on your technical area and you’re trying to get them out, there’s only one way it’s going to end.”
Watch Hecky's press conference in full now over on Barnsley Player HD!
Watch Hecky's press conference in full now over on Barnsley Player HD!
