Following Barnsley’s 3-2 victory over Luton Town on Saturday afternoon, stand-in captain Ethan Pinnock believes the margin of victory could have been bigger.
The Reds came close on a number of occasions in the first half – most notably through Dimitri Cavaré and George Moncur – while Jacob Brown also had a good opportunity moments before Mamadou Thiam’s winning strike.
“I’m really pleased with the result; I think we made it a bit more difficult than it should have been,” insisted Pinnock. “Throughout the duration of the game we had more chances and were unlucky to concede in the way that we did, but the main thing is that we got the three points.
“In the first half, I think we should have been out of sight – George had a good chance that he just missed. With the penalty, it’s pretty much the worst time to concede just before going in for half-time, but the boys kept their heads up. In the second half, we knew they were going to come at us and that it wasn’t going to be an easy game.
“We got another goal and, although we weren’t as dominant, I thought we were quite comfortable and we were unlucky with the goal and managed to hold on. The boys showed good determination.”
While Barnsley picked up another valuable three points against the Hatters, fellow promotion-chasing teams also secured priceless victories at the weekend.
Peterborough bounced back from their dismantling at the hands of the Reds last Saturday, while Portsmouth maintained their impressive start to the Sky Bet League One campaign with a routine win at AFC Wimbledon.
However, despite the fierce competition at the summit, Pinnock says himself and the rest of the camp are solely concentrating on themselves.
“We’re not too focussed on what other teams are doing; we’re trying to focus on ourselves and take it each game,” continued the Reds’ centre-back. “I think people will be aware of our performances and how well we’re doing, but the main thing is to focus on ourselves and not worry too much on what’s going on elsewhere.”
With games set to start coming thick and fast as we move into the winter months, Daniel Stendel may start to rotate his squad more frequently to keep players fresh.
And Pinnock believes, if that is the case, there is enough competition and quality within the team to ensure the Reds continue to pick up positive results.
“The competition for places is really stiff,” said the 25-year-old. “Each week there’s 14 or 15 players who can make a good case for starting the game so, when they do get the chance to come on, they’re hungry to prove that they should be starting and I think it shows on the pitch.”
