Barnsley Assistant Head Coach Dimas is pleased with the progress that the team has made in recent weeks.
The Reds picked up four points away to Birmingham City and Hull City, before giving promotion-chasing Cardiff City an almighty scare in South Wales on Tuesday evening.
And Dimas is confident that the team can continue to kick on and pick up a valuable three points when they travel to Middlesbrough on Saturday - Barnsley’s fourth straight away game.
“When we first looked at the squad, it’s a team of players that have much more quality than the position we’re in,” said the Assistant Head Coach. "They now know they have that quality and they’re showing it on the pitch to give them confidence and belief.
“They understand what we want as a team, what we want as an idea of the game and they’re starting to do it, and that’s why performances are getting better. They will be better in the future; our performance will be much better in the next game, and it’s because of them.”
One player in particular who has stood out in recent weeks is February’s SkyBet Championship Player of the Month Oli McBurnie, who has four goals in his last three outings.
The striker, on loan from Swansea City, converted from Christoph Knasmüllner’s knockdown at the Cardiff City Stadium to give the Reds hope after the interval, and he could prove to be the difference at the Riverside Stadium this weekend.
“We have a very young squad who are motivated and ambitious,” continued Dimas. "Oli was at Swansea with little possibilities of playing and he grabbed this opportunity. But it’s thanks to his merit, because he knows he has quality.
"But he has to understand that he doesn’t do it alone; he’s been scoring the goals but it’s also a team effort. I’m happy for him, I think he’s got more than enough to be an international quality player.”
Middlesbrough come into this fixture unbeaten in four games and on the back of a 1-0 victory at Birmingham on Tuesday evening.
Adama Traore and Patrick Bamford have been in scintillating form for Tony Pulis’ side, who have climbed into the play-off places and are gaining momentum as the season reaches it’s climax.
“We are prepared for this game,” said Dimas. "We’ve got our idea of how we will play tomorrow; the boys understand that this is a team and they are starting to get our ideas. We will be in the game tomorrow.
“It’s another tough team. They’re a good team with a good manager who has lots of experience. We’ve watched them and prepared for another difficult game - like always. We’re going to do our best to get three points. We know what to expect, we just need to continue playing well.”
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