Barnsley U23s are back in action when they travel to Crewe Alexandra in the Professional Development League on Monday afternoon.
The young Reds are looking to end a run of successive defeats, having lost back-to-back games against Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday in their last two outings.
Aiden Marsh, who has looked lively leading the line alongside strike partner Tommy Willard, is confident that his side can put their recent dip in form behind them and secure a much-needed victory.
“We’re all looking to bounce back and improve on our performance; it’s been a tough few weeks but we’ve all been working hard in training to look to put things right and get three points,” said the 16-year-old. “Everyone is going into the game with that mindset and we’ll do everything we can to win.
“The last few results have been very disappointing as we’ve been putting our all into the games and the results haven’t reflect this. We were unlucky not to take all three points against Sheffield United and have lost twice since, and it’s not a good feeling. But we’ve learnt from these results and we’ve been working hard in training to change this run of form and get back to winning ways.”
Gresty Road has been a happy hunting ground for the young forward this season as he bagged two goals to fire our U18s into the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup back in December.
As well as playing regularly for Martin Devaney in the U23s set-up, Marsh has been involved in first team affairs – featuring amongst Gerhard Struber’s substitutes twice this campaign, most recently in the 3-0 win at Fulham.
It’s a morale booster that can only help the young poacher, who goes into every game believing he can score.
“I’m feeling confident going into the game and I feel that I’m starting to find my feet with the under 23s and adapting to the game,” insisted Marsh. “Hopefully I can go on a goalscoring spree and provide for the team so we can climb the table.
“It gives me a lot of confidence knowing that Martin trusts me to go out there and do a job and, hopefully, I can go out there against Crewe and repay him with a good performance and show him why I should play every week. He’s giving me the opportunity to go and express myself at under 23s level, which is very good.”
You can find out how our young Reds fare by attending the game at Gresty Road, kick-off at 1pm.
Alternatively, you can follow updates on our official Academy Twitter account: @AcademyBFC.
