Barnsley prop up the Championship table and are three points from safety with three challenging fixtures remaining, but head coach Gerhard Struber says his team are still in a “fighting mood” and won’t give up.
The Reds’ goalless draw at home to Wigan Athletic on Saturday – a second tie in a row against a relegation rival after their 1-1 draw at Luton Town – leaves their Championship status hanging by a thread.
They trail Hull City by two points and both Charlton Athletic and Stoke City by three among an eight-team battle at the bottom, but face Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Brentford – all teams in the top five – in their final matches.
The odds, then, are stacked against Struber’s team making a great escape, but the boss insists they still have a chance and will keep battling.
“We are in a fighting mood and we have a clear plan, especially when we saw the results from the other teams around us,” he said after the Wigan stalemate.
‘Right direction… but we need the points’
“We have to fight until the last game," Struber added. "Our goal today was three points and the boys are disappointed about the result but the performance was, in many parts of the game, in the right direction.
“After the lockdown we are (ranked) in the top 10 or 12 teams and the boys are doing everything they can at the moment. This is okay but in our situation we need the points.
“We know we have big teams (coming up) but we have also picked up points against big teams. If we play similar to today or against Luton, especially against the ball, we will find chances against Leeds, Nottingham and Brentford, I am 100 per cent convinced about that. But in the end, I hope a little luck comes back.
“The next opponent is Leeds. We have a big respect for Leeds but we have nothing to lose against this opponent. We will fight against Leeds, we will fight for our points and we will work very hard together on Thursday. I am 100 per cent convinced we can pick up points against Leeds.”
Struber laments lack of strike threat
Struber says that he is pleased with most elements of Barnsley’s performances but lamented their ineffectiveness in attack once more against Wigan. They have scored only four goals in the six matches since the restart, and only Middlesbrough have scored fewer over the whole season.
“In parts of the game I was very happy, especially (with our) defensive structure and pressing," said the Austrian boss. "We won many balls and had such control of the game. But also, similar to the Luton game, many chances.
“We cannot use our best chances. We don’t have the best balance to score goals. I think this is the issue at the moment. My strikers are not sharp enough to score goals.
“In the last 20 minutes (after Morgan Fox’s red card for Wigan) we have to win the game. We have to play with a clear balance, not shoot from 20 metres. This was unnecessary. We are very clear (without) the ball but on the ball in the last third we need a good balance, and good timing for the final pass.”