Reds midfielder feels the side can continue to improve as the season goes on.
Barnsley Captain Conor Hourihane is pleased with the Reds’ position in the Championship table, but insists they cannot afford to get complacent.
The Reds are 13th in the Championship table after 16 matches, five points outside the Play-Off places.
Hourihane feels that the Reds’ current position is testament to how well they have started the season and feels they can continue to improve and accumulate points.
He said, “If someone would have offered us where we are now with a third of the season gone, we’d have taken that for sure.
“We’ve brought lads in, and have players like myself, who have never played at this level before and we’ve stepped up quite well.
“There’s no room for complacency, we need to keep working hard and I’m sure we’ll be OK.”
The midfielder narrowly missed out on selection for the Republic of Ireland squad having being named in the provisional side for the second time.
Having seen fellow teammates Andy Yiadom, Adam Armstrong, Sam Morsy, Adam Davies and Tom Bradshaw all selected for international duty, Hourihane feels his opportunity is just around the corner.
He added, “It’s very nice seeing players from Barnsley being called up, we had Adam Davies and Bradders’ in the last one, Adam Armstrong is in the youth setup with England, Yids is with Ghana and it all comes with the territory of playing in the Championship.
“I think everyone would agree last season we had a great run but League One is not a high enough standard to get into the international reckoning.
“In the Championship, it’s up to us to prove we are good enough to play at that kind of level. I think we’ve done that at the start of the season and as I’ve said before, it comes with the territory.
“It’s the manager’s choice but for me it is a little bit disappointing, I’ve been in two provisional squads now and not made the final matchday squad but maybe it wasn’t my time and hopefully my time will come.
“I need to keep playing well for Barnsley, that’s the bread and butter, and they’ll keep watching and hopefully if I keep working hard and keep my head down I’ll make the final squad.
“I know both Roy and Martin have been to a couple of games themselves and I’ve probably been unlucky from that point of view because if you asked our manager which games we haven’t played particularly well in, it would be Reading and Brighton and they were the two games they were at.
“Maybe I was a little bit unlucky but it is what it is and I’m sure they’ll come to more games and from a personal point of view, and the team’s point of view, we’ll put in a good performance.”
After the international break, Hourihane feels the side are fully recharged and ready to attack the division once again.
He feels the Latics may pose them some difficult questions this weekend but the Reds are ready to answer them all.
“Coming back off the international break, we’re all energised and ready to go. You get the sense in training everyone is ready for the game on Saturday.
“Our backroom staff will have done their homework. I know the manager has had one game at home and that didn’t go to plan so they may have worked extra hard over the international period to get it right.
“We’ll have done our homework and we’ll be ready to go and I’m sure we’ll more than match them and hopefully come out with the right result.
“It’s going to be a tough game, but every game is tough. You’ll know you’ve been in the game come five o’clock, and every game so far this season has been like that and it will probably go right to the wire,” he added.
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