After opening his account this weekend, striker Cauley Woodrow spoke to the press...
Talisman Cauley Woodrow was over the moon to get off the mark with a spectacular goal in the 2-2 draw with Charlton Athletic on Saturday, but was still disappointed with the overall result of the game, after a late Addicks penalty saw the spoils shared at Oakwell.
However, the 24-year-old did praise the response from the Reds this weekend, following two successive defeats against Sheffield Wednesday and Carlisle United respectively.
Following the draw with Charlton, the striker told barnsleyfc.co.uk: “It was a massive improvement from Sheffield Wednesday last weekend and the Carabao Cup game against Carlisle on Tuesday night.
“We backed ourselves in terms of our energy levels and the way we wanted to play, but at the same time, it was disappointing to concede a goal in the last few minutes and end up drawing a game we should have won.”
He continued: “The Gaffer [Daniel Stendel] made it clear before the game that he wanted to see us back to our old selves. I think today, we did that and that’s one of the best performances we’ve displayed, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get the three points.”
Woodrow initially fired the Reds into a lead midway through the first half with a wonder strike, after he controlled the ball perfectly, before letting it drop to his feet and volleying into the top left corner.
Speaking about opening his account for the campaign, the man who netted 19 times for the Reds last season went on to say: “When I saw the ball hit the back of the net, obviously I was delighted. It’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored! The ball came to me quickly, so I had to make an instinctive decision and luckily, this time, it flew into the top corner.”
The hitman also applauded his fellow teammate and strike partner Conor Chaplin, after he netted his first goal for the Reds since arriving at Oakwell in the summer from Sky Bet League One side Coventry City.
“I’m really pleased for him [Conor Chaplin]. He managed to score his first goal for the club and that’s a great moment for him. As a striker as well, it takes the pressure off, knowing you’ve scored early on in the season. It was a great finish, showing quick feet in the box and I think he’s going to be a really important player for us this year.”
Despite the match ending in a draw on Saturday afternoon, the result did see the Reds stretch their unbeaten record at home to 29 games.
And Woodrow believes it’s incredibly important for Barnsley to continue their impressive form on home soil if they are to move their way up the Sky Bet Championship table.
“Oakwell has to be a place we pick up points because away from home, it can be a lot more difficult at this level, as we found out when we played Sheffield Wednesday. However, if we can make it difficult for teams to come here and beat us, then hopefully we will go in the right direction in this league.
“We go to Birmingham in good spirits and let’s hope for another decent display.”