Barnsley Head Coach, Paul Heckingbottom spoke to the media following Saturday’s defeat to Derby County at Oakwell.
Following Saturday's defeat, the Reds are now without a win in five matches, but still remain four points above the relegation zone.
“It’s tough to take, any defeat is. I’ll sound like a broken record now but the quality of certain teams is showing. They have three shots on target and score three goals. We were wasteful at the other end, but I’ve been saying that a lot of late.”
The Head Coach feels that when analysing Saturday's fixture, the players will rue their missed chances and know how to improve defensively, moving in to the trip to West London next week.
"That’s the difference and that’s what we have to put right. It’s a whole different ball-game for these players, some haven’t played at this level, some haven’t played league football. There wasn’t much in the game, certainly in the first 35 minutes, but with two bits of quality, we’re two down."
Despite seeming to be much improved in the second half, Paul Heckingbottom refused to take positives from the display as strikes from Tom Lawrence and Matej Vydra gave Barnsley a mountain to climb.
“You can’t say you’re a great side when you’re two goals down. Derby are a great counter attacking side and were comfortable with us having large amounts of possession. But we missed our chances, a couple hit the bar and Ike forcing the save from Carson, but it’s fine margins, we have to do better at both ends.”
Having addressed the matter in his pre-match press-conference, the Reds Gaffer felt his young side maintained the required work-rate and were more than a match for the Rams.
"I thought the energy was there. Between both boxes, we more than matched Derby. But I don’t go off stats. I’d rather be here talking about three points. Our work-rate wasn’t the issue, it is the fact we weren’t clinical. These are our players, this is our squad, I want wins before January. I’m learning about these players every day and every match, good things, bad things and the players are getting their opportunity to stay in the team and make a difference."
Hecky’s post-match interview is available in full, over on iFollow.
