Following our 1-0 Yorkshire derby victory over Huddersfield Town on Wednesday evening, Valérien Ismaël praised his side for the way they reacted to defeat at Coventry City at the weekend.
Daryl Dike’s overhead kick midway through the second half proved to be decisive as the Reds picked up three more crucial points in the race for the play-offs.
The result was no less than we deserved for our endeavours, and perhaps the only disappointment was that we notched just the one goal despite a tremendous attacking display.
“It was a great performance,” lauded Ismaël. “Before we speak about the win, I think it’s important to have a reaction to bounce back. From the first minute, the feeling was there – the guys were ready to show a reaction – and it was important for us to stay that way.
“We got the three points; it was a big result for us. We have to score more goals, especially in the second half, to extend our lead or to be more comfortable in the game, but we had a good feeling that we could keep a clean sheet.
“The back three was very strong – especially Michael Sollbauer; he played very strong, the man of the match for us, and it was important to win, put the performance in and have a clean sheet.”
Barnsley head into their next fixture at home to Rotherham United knowing that one point could be enough to secure a top six finish, should Reading lose against Swansea City on Sunday.
Of course, the Reds will be targeting another win in the South Yorkshire derby but Ismael insists it will be a tough assignment when the relegation-threatened Millers visit Oakwell.
“It’s a great feeling for us – a great challenge, at the minute – but now we are near to the line and want to come over the line; this is our purpose,” continued our Head Coach. “We are in a brilliant position now but we need to recover.
“It will be a big fight on Saturday against Rotherham, they are fighting to stay in the league and we need to take the fight with that performance and mentality to show from minute one that this is what we have to do.”
You can watch Valérien’s post-match interview on iFollow Barnsley.
