The post-match thoughts of Luke Thomas as he reacts to the point achieved against Bristol City last time out whilst also looking ahead to Stoke City's visit to Oakwell.
England U20 international Luke Thomas has had to sit out a few games recently, but he made a game-changing impact from the bench last Friday night.
The former Derby County winger helped the Reds to a last-gasp point at Oakwell having come off the bench with half-an-hour to play in the Sky Bet Championship clash.
But despite fighting back from being two goals down against Bristol City to earn a vital point, the Reds twice conceded from set-plays in a game they otherwise dominated.
Thomas admits his side need to cut out the errors if they’re to climb out of the bottom three.
"It’s been massively frustrating,” said Thomas. “Since Adam (Murray) has taken on the job we’re always working on defensive stuff like stopping free-kicks and crosses. We’re in the Championship and if someone switches off - especially against a side like Bristol City - they’ve got the players to punish you. We know that.
“As players out there we have got to take responsibility, remain switched on at all times. We’re gifting goals away.”
There were however, plenty of positives for the Reds to take out of the 2-2 draw against the high-flying Robins.
Most noticeable was the fighting spirit amongst the team as Barnsley sent the boisterous home faithful home with something to cheer with Cauley Woodrow’s last minute leveller.
Thomas said the noise was deafening as the ball hit the net in the 95th minute.
“I think we got our reward in the end. We deserved at least a draw. Probably deserved to win it if you think of the chances we had.
"The fans weren’t very happy with us and they have every right to be, being 2-0 down with 20 minutes to play at home. They want to see a reaction at least, and we reacted perfectly.
“I think we made them go home happy in the end. That noise at the end was so loud, it was great to give them that. To come back and get a draw is a good result and, hopefully, will spur us on to get three points next time out."
That next time out is this weekend’s home clash with Stoke City.
With the Potters just above the Reds in the table, and they too operating with a caretaker boss following the departure of Nathan Jones recently, this fixture is rightly being billed as a big one.
Thomas wants the Reds’ fighting spirit to finally bring three points in a relegation showdown at Oakwell on Saturday.
“We need a little bit of luck,” he told us. “When you’re down at the bottom it’s harder to get three points as you don’t seem to get that bit of luck.
“It’s still early days in the season but it’s a massive game this Saturday. We’re at home so we have that to our advantage and I’m sure that if we keep fighting, if we cut out the mistakes, we can pick up three points against Stoke and ensure the fans again leave the stadium feeling positive.”
