Reds forward Conor Chaplin described the mood in the Barnsley changing room as 'confident' ahead of Saturday's clash with Stoke City at Oakwell.
The former Portsmouth striker has forged a decent partnership up top with Cauley Woodrow in recent weeks, and he says that the confidence in the squad remains as high as ever, despite a tough start to life back in the Sky Bet Championship.
He told us: “I think the recent results have shown we’re moving in the right direction now after a difficult start. It’s about building momentum, and the confidence is there, trust me. Some sides in our situation might have had their heads dropped but I think the fight is there for all to see.
“It’s important we start getting the victories to give us the best chance of stopping in this division, so this is another massive game for us.”
Chaplin was quick to credit caretaker boss Adam Murray for the way he's helped the squad in the last month and suggests the displays across the first 15 games of the season deserved better results but that they've often shot themselves in the foot giving away cheap goals.
“I think the facts are that we’ve been more than good enough in most of the matches this season, but you can’t gift teams the goals that we’ve done. We give ourselves too much to do.
“If we can fix things like that then I believe we’ve already shown we’re capable of taking anyone on, whether that be the sides at the top or a side like Stoke this weekend who are down the bottom with us right now.
“Adam (Murray) has instilled that belief in us since taking the first team. We might be seen as underdogs elsewhere but in that changing room there’s huge confidence in the team, and that’s not just me, that’s the whole group.
“We’re determined to prove that we’re better than the league position is telling us.”
Despite scoring just the one goal since arriving in the summer from Coventry City, Conor feels he's been performing to a decent standard, but accepts that all forwards will be judged on their goalscoring exploits.
“I’m a forward so I’m always going to be judged on goals." Chaplin stated. "I definitely feel like I should have had a couple more at this stage. I think I’m doing all the right things and maybe the chances will start dropping my way rather than Cauley’s (Woodrow) for a change!
“But no, we’ve started to develop a decent little partnership and I don’t mind helping him score. It’s about the team, but I’d be lying if I didn’t want to be the one getting us the goals myself.”
