Kenny Dougall believes Barnsley can progress to the Emirates FA Cup fourth round when they travel to Burnley on Saturday.
The tenacious Reds’ midfielder, recently back from an injury sustained against Shrewsbury Town in October, says his side will need to be at their best at Turf Moor against the Premier League outfit.
“I fancy our chances against any team as long as we set up correct and we play to our abilities,” insisted Dougall. “Obviously, they are the favourites being the Premier League team and on paper they have more quality than us. We just have to do what the Gaffer says and see how it goes.
“We have a young squad and we also have a little bit of experience as well, in terms of games played. Playing against a Premier League opposition is a real chance to test ourselves and we’re really looking forward to it. It’s my first game ever in the FA Cup, so if I get selected it’d be nice for me to play in one of the oldest competitions in the world.”
Barnsley have reignited their promotion push following a run of five games unbeaten in Sky Bet League Two, including dogged displays against Charlton Athletic and Luton Town.
Daniel Stendel’s side is playing with renewed confidence following a minor slip that saw the Reds momentarily drop out of the top six.
However, Dougall maintains that the sole focus this season is a return to the second tier and anything else that happens on the way is a bonus.
“In the last four games we’ve picked up ten points, so it has been fantastic since Christmas,” continued the Australian. “We’ve got a lot of work to do still; we’re aiming for the top two – that’s our goal and we won’t give up on that, we have to keep going.
“This last period of games has given us real confidence that we can beat anyone in this league. We go out in every game to get three points to keep climbing the table.
“If we play well, we give ourselves a chance of progressing in the Cup and progressing in the league. Bradford at home next weekend is the main priority, but at the same time, whatever eleven is out on Saturday we’ll do our best to win.”
You can watch Kenny’s full press conference on iFollow Barnsley.
