Barnsley Head Coach Gerhard Struber was ‘proud’ of his team’s performance in the 3-1 triumph over Yorkshire rivals Hull City at Oakwell on Saturday.
The Austrian said it was a very well-deserved victory for the Reds, who secured their first win since the opening day of the season against Fulham, 18 matches ago.
Three excellent strikes from Alex Mowatt, Mike Bähre and Conor Chaplin ensured the Reds picked up all three points in impressive fashion at Oakwell, as Struber took to the dugout for the first time in front of the Barnsley faithful.
The new man was introduced to the fans before the match and said: “It was a very important game. The last few days have been difficult for the mindset of the players.
“We had a clear plan of what we wanted. We played with conviction and self-confidence. I spoke a lot with my players, and I think the right plan on the field was key for the both the result and the good performance.”
The long-awaited victory took Barnsley to within two-points of 23rd placed Stoke City and five points adrift from safety.
Struber was especially delighted with the trio of Mowatt, Bähre and Chaplin who scored the goals, but was equally pleased with the performance in the defensive third of the pitch.
He added: “I’m very pleased with the goals, especially Conor [Chaplin]. He has a nose for goals, he showed a very cold heart for the goal and I think it’s very important for us to have a striker who can score.
“Alex [Mowatt] is a leader. He is a very important player for my team. He can score, he works hard on the field and he gives the other players around him a good feeling.
“However, also, we were very good in defence today and this, altogether makes me proud of my boys.”
The 42-year-old also hailed the support he and his team received from the fans throughout the match and at the final whistle in what was an ‘exceptional’ atmosphere at Oakwell.
“For the fans, it is amazing and special, I am very happy. It was a special atmosphere. This support from the fans is always important, but now, even more so.
“It was also a special situation for me. I’ve been here for just ten days and this is only a small step in the right direction. We must work hard in the coming days on the philosophy and we hope we can start a good series of results.”
The Reds travel to Wales next Saturday to face a Cardiff City side who are in good form after winning three of their last five matches.
However, Head Coach Struber believes Barnsley are more than capable of putting in another strong performance which will see them leave the Cardiff City Stadium with three points once again.
Looking ahead to that encounter he told us: “Today I think we created better positions in situations. When Hull had the ball, we had a clear plan of whether it was best to fight for the second ball or whether to press in the opponent’s half.
“We were good at making decisions and we have to keep doing this in the next few weeks.
“Overall, I am very happy with this result, and next week, we have a long week which gives us time for more training, and I hope that at Cardiff, we have another top performance.”
