After inspiring Barnsley to a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday evening, Callum Styles is hoping to feature more prominently over the coming weeks to help his side retain their Sky Bet Championship status.
The dynamic midfielder was instrumental as the Reds boosted their survival hopes thanks to second half goals from Conor Chaplin and Jacob Brown at Oakwell.
“It’s good to get the win; that’s two out of three, now, so it’s good form really and we’re buzzing to get the win,” said Styles.
“We started off well and they started to get into the game, but the subs made an impact and we gained control of the game – they didn’t really have much, they just tried to go long and it didn’t really work. But we just kept going and saw out the game.”
Since coming back after lockdown, Barnsley are arguably one of the form teams in the division with seven points from a possible nine available.
A similar return from their next three outings – against teams in and around the foot of the table – will go a long way to helping the Reds achieve their long-term goals this term.
“We’ve got momentum and we’re really confident at the minute with the two wins and a draw, so we take this into Saturday with confidence, play how we do and hopefully we’ll get another win and keep putting pressure on other teams,” continued the 20-year-old.
The former Bury man has had to bide his time and be patient for a chance to showcase his undoubted talent, but he has grasped this latest opportunity with both hands.
Prior to lockdown, he had started to feature more regularly under Gerhard Struber and has since been able to show his versatility by playing in an unfamiliar wing-back role on occasion.
“I’m here to play football and that’s what I want to do; I want to get more minutes and hopefully I’ll show them what I can do,” insisted Styles. “Hopefully, come Saturday, I’ll be in the starting eleven and push on from there.
“I’m comfortable wherever, really. Obviously, I’m a midfielder, but I’ll play left wing-back or right wing-back, but I’m there to create and link play.”
You can watch Callum's post-match interview on iFollow Barnsley.
