Gerhard Struber says Barnsley are going to work hard to bounce back from their Sky Bet Championship defeat at Derby County on Thursday evening.
Goals from Jack Marriott and Martin Waghorn condemned the Reds to their first defeat since the start of December on a disappointing evening at Pride Park.
“I’m not happy with the performance; I thought in the first 30 minutes we had big problems with control on the ball and we lost simple balls,” asserted Struber.
“With the substitution of Elliot [Simoes], the opponent had a little more problems in the last line and he was good for our game in the offence. In the end, it was not enough for a point and this is the reality; it’s painful now and a disappointing situation, but we have to work in the next days.”
Simoes’ display was one of the positive factors for Barnsley as he notched his first senior goal in just his third appearance, having scored eight for our U23s in the Professional Development League this season.
The young forward reacted quickest to turn home after Rams’ stopper Ben Hamer had kept out Conor Chaplin’s low effort.
“I saw Elliot in training and I trust him; he’s a very good player and a big talent,” continued Struber. “He created a very good performance, is very quick in his head so I am happy with his performance; he has shown me that he is a player for the first team.”
It was Barnsley’s third game in eight days over a busy festive period that also included a gruelling trip to South Wales.
However, Struber doesn’t want to use fatigue as an excuse, insisting that every team has to cope with the rigours and demands of English football.
“The opponent also had many games; it’s not only our problem,” admitted the Reds’ Head Coach. “But it’s not easy, we don’t have a big squad where we can change players – this is our challenge and it’s not so easy in our situation to have the right energy for these games.
“With young players, it’s normal that performances go a little bit up and down, but it’s important that we go step by step. It’s not easy, we need points and victories and I hope we can win our next game in the FA Cup, then we have a home game against Huddersfield and it’s the next chance to win and create three points.”
You can watch Gerhard’s full post-match reaction on iFollow Barnsley.
