New Reds loan signing Callum Connolly spoke to Barnsley PlayerHD in his first interview since joining the club on loan from Premier League side Everton.
Callum gave his thoughts on his first day at the club as well as what he hopes to gain from his time at Barnsley, as well as a couple of familiar faces giving him some advice on joining the Reds.
“My first day today has been great,” said Connolly. “The lads are very nice and the gaffer is very sound, I can’t wait to get started on Saturday. It’s a massive club and they have a great playing style, I really can’t wait to get started.
“I got the call last night and my manager said it would be a great experience for me. Hopefully I can do well here and kick on from there.
“I want to play league football week in, week out and hopefully I’ll benefit from that and take it back to Everton.
“A few players came to Everton from Barnsley. Stonesy (John Stones) and Mason (Holgate) played here regularly and they said they loved it when I spoke to them.”
After meeting Paul Heckingbottom on his arrival and realising the youthful age of the squad, Connolly spoke of his first impressions of his new Head Coach and teammates, along with telling the Reds fans what they can expect to see from him.
“It’s what all young lads want, a Gaffer that’ll introduce youth to the system and luckily Paul does that.” He explained.
“Over the last year or so I’ve been an all-round player. I’ve played left-back, right-back, centre-back and in midfield. Luckily I can play in that many positions, hopefully that can benefit me when I play for Barnsley.
“I like to get forward but on the other hand I like defending, so I’m looking forward to it. In training this morning the ball was zipping about and everyone was high in confidence when passing and talking to each other.
“I could sense the mood was very positive and hopefully we’ll continue that. I could tell in the first training session the level is a high standard and it was a good session.”
Ahead of this weekend’s trip to Walsall, Connolly wanted to make sure he was focused and ready to make his debut if selected. He also gave his thoughts on potentially playing at Wembley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final.
He added, “I can’t wait for it, Walsall are a good side but we’re flying at the moment. Hopefully we can continue our form then stop on from there.
“It’s just another game, it’s a great stage to play on at Wembley, the biggest ground in the country and hopefully I’ll get to play there.”