Elliot Simoes was disappointed that his first professional goal couldn’t help Barnsley to at least a share of the spoils against Derby County on Thursday evening.
The Reds fell to a 2-1 defeat at Pride Park in the Sky Bet Championship, and the young forward says there is still plenty of time for his side to turn things around and retain their second tier status this season.
“I felt good; I haven’t played a full game for a long time now, but it felt good coming off the bench,” said Simoes. “I’m really disappointed, obviously, with the result – it’s not what we expected – but it was nice to get my first goal. It’s a long season and there’s a lot of games, so we need to keep going to get as many points as we can.
“As you can see in the last six games, we’ve been able to get some good results. Unfortunately we lost this one, but I think we’ll bounce back in the next one.”
Simoes levelled the scores five minutes after half-time when he reacted quickest to bundle home the rebound after Ben Hamer had saved Conor Chaplin’s initial effort.
It was a huge moment for 20-year-old, who has been in blistering form for our U23s in the Professional Development League where he has scored eight goals.
“It’s the best feeling ever, especially for a player like me – last year I was playing in the seventh division and now I’m scoring in the Championship, so it’s a big feeling for me,” insisted Simoes, who arrived at Oakwell from FC United of Manchester last January.
This was only his third appearance in a Barnsley shirt after making his debut at home to Swansea City back in October.
He also came from the bench in the dramatic 2-2 draw with Bristol City at the start of November and played a huge part in our late equaliser.
Thursday night is the first time he has featured under Gerhard Struber, and he certainly impressed the Reds’ Head Coach at Pride Park
“The environment is good and he speaks to me and gives me a lot of confidence in training,” continued Simoes. “Since he’s joined, I’ve always felt like I will come on the pitch and it’s a boost for my confidence that I need.”
You can watch Elliot’s full post-match reaction on iFollow Barnsley.
