Speaking after our goalless draw with Crewe Alexandra on Saturday, our Head Coach Michael Duff praised his side's physicality in hot conditions at Oakwell.
Despite most of the game being played in the Crewe half, the Reds couldn't find an elusive winner on the Showcase academy pitch at Oakwell. Overseeing his third pre-season fixture since taking the reins, Michael Duff praised his side's performance despite the lack of cutting edge in the final third.
"I thought there were some good things that came out of it", opened our boss. "I think the first half we were, as you would expect, dominant. I thought the back-third and the middle of the pitch where we've done quite a lot of work looked good.
"We lacked a little bit of cutting edge, but we haven't done that much work in that part of the pitch just yet and we're light in that area as well. But, everyone seems to have come through it."
The players' physical work in training was tested on Saturday afternoon with another 90 minutes completed and in blazing sunshine.
However, in relation to how far we are away from the start of the season, Duff is content with his squad's fitness levels.
"This is extremely hot for Barnsley isn't it, surely!" Duff laughed. "We had to have a water break. You get the live distance data to say what they [the players] have been running; there was a lot of volume.
"The intensity wasn't where it needs to be, but we're three weeks away. We're not expecting it to be. This is why you have pre-season. You're slowly trying to periodise where the players are getting to because ultimately we want them fit and fresh for the first game of the season. That's when it counts."
Despite the result not being there against the Railwaymen, our Head Coach was happy to see certain patterns of play being executed in a game situation.
"If you look at the start of the week to today, some of the patterns that came out, some of the things we want; whether that's defending, the back five crunching the pitch and nicking yards and ducking out, they look organised.
"Mainly, the mid part of the pitch, we got out and hit some switches. We got overloads in wide areas which is what we want to do. It's just that final pass, but the 'keeper's made a couple of really good saves in the end. It was pleasing. I'd be worried if it was perfect now, and if it was I'd say 'go home for three weeks', but it isn't, it's a work in progress."