Following the completion of his loan spell at Yeovil Town, we caught up with the young midfielder to get his thoughts on last season and his ambitions for the 20018/19 campaign.
After returning from his loan spell at Huish Park, Jared Bird is looking ahead to the upcoming campaign and staking a claim for first team football at Oakwell.
The 20-year-old midfielder joined the Glovers in January and made 16 appearances in all competitions - including an outing in the FA Cup against eventual runners-up Manchester United.
“I thought it went really well - I went there to play games and get valuable experience, and I think that’s what I did,” said Bird.
“I think I learnt a lot. I played in some big games like against Manchester United and Shrewsbury, and even in the league games I learnt a lot because the players in that league have been playing football for a long time now.
"There’s some really experienced players in that league. So learning from them and playing against them was really good.
“It was a lot different physicality-wise; there’s a lot of experienced pros in that league and they can throw their weight about. You just have to get used to that; you have to be clever, you have to use your body well and work around that really.”
Yeovil finished the season 19th in League Two - just two points above the drop zone in what was an indifferent campaign for Darren Way’s side.
The Somerset outfit were only ever as high as 12th in the league following a 2-0 win over Coventry City at Huish Park in late August, but struggled for consistency as the season progressed.
A reverse 6-2 victory over the Sky Blues on April 2nd would prove to be the Glovers’ last triumph in the league as they ended the campaign with an eight game winless streak, picking up just three points in the process.
“It was a really good experience that we managed to get out of it with a point against Forest Green - it was a relief and a great feeling when that happened,” continued Bird.
“Yeovil were down there near the relegation zone for a little bit of the season and we had to pull ourselves out of that, and it just showed that we needed a good team morale.
“I think if you’ve got a good team morale then you’re going to have asuccessful season and escape relegation like Yeovil did when I was there, or you’re going to get promoted.”
Another positive for Bird during his loan spell at Yeovil was the constant communication between himself and Barnsley U23s coach Paul Harsley.
The pair have since been in contact at the Club to discuss options for the forthcoming campaign, and Bird is optimistic about his Oakwell future.
“I came into the Club and spoke to Paul, and he said that the aim for next season is to get into the first team and try and cement a place there - that’s exactly what I think as well,” insisted the midfielder.
“He rang me most weeks asking how I was getting on, how much game time I was getting and if I was enjoying it. He was in contact quite regularly.
“It’s really nice when they’re asking how I’m doing and coming to watch a few of my games is really good to see that they’re interested.”