Barnsley 0 Fleetwood 1: Nyatanga urges Barnsley squad to ensure rot stops immediately

Lee Johnson will be hoping the same fate does not befall him 
after a fifth successive defeat left the Reds in the relegation zone as Fleetwood leap-frogged them.

Last season’s 2-1 reverse signalled the end for Danny Wilson after a sixth defeat in nine games.

Johnson’s recent terrible run has matched that at the end of the 2013-14 season when Barnsley lost their last four Championship games and the first of the following season in League One.

Owner Patrick Cryne has said that Johnson will be the last manager appointed under his tenure, but it is no secret that he is looking to sell after keeping the club afloat for several years.

In Johnson’s defence, he has been without seven regulars due to a combination of injuries and suspensions, but many clubs suffer similar problems and while the current Reds chief is banking on players with youthful promise, that is looking a big gamble at present.

The rot has got to stop here, admitted one of the club’s senior professionals, Lewin Nyatanga, whose absence from the starting line-up was a surprise.

The former Welsh international said he was fit, Johnson explained he did not want to risk him damaging an Achilles and so opted for Marc Roberts alongside captain Alfie Mawson.

The move backfired and Nyatanga, introduced at the break, said: “Every defeat is tough to take but especially with the situation we are in at the moment. We did not perform at all and it’s hard to put your finger on one thing as to why. I definitely could not see this run coming. At the start of the season, we had high hopes because we played very well.

“You never expect to lose five in a row and that is unacceptable. We need to stop it as soon as possible. Everyone would take a terrible performance and a win next Saturday, but we also need to start playing better. I have never been involved in five successive defeats and it’s not nice so, as a group collectively, we need to get together and ensure it doesn’t go six, seven. It’s unacceptable.”

He continued: “For a club this size in this league we should not be anywhere near the relegation zone, but that is the reality of the situation and let’s hope it is a wake-up call. We need to turn it round now. I can understand why the fans are frustrated. The atmosphere has changed, but that is understandable.

“We have got a talented squad, but having a talented squad and having one that gets results is two different things so we need to start doing that now.

“The manager is a winner and knows what it takes and it is no surprise that he is not happy.”

By half-time, Johnson had needed to replace Roberts, who had been booked for two fouls on Fleetwood striker Jamie Proctor, who had constantly outmuscled him.

Proctor’s strength had also allowed him to rob a dithering Paul Digby in central midfield, bear down on goal and sidefoot past the onrushing Nick Townsend for what proved the 29th-minute winner.

Barnsley’s response was pathetic apart from Mawson forcing a fine save from Chris Maxwell from a free-kick in first-half stoppage time.

Josh Scowen, who worked non-stop attempting to give Barnsley some forward drive, even drew ironic applause for a tame 30-yarder and the situation did not improve after the break when Johnson finally gave Sam Winnall a strike partner in Michael Smith.

One bright note was the debut of left winger Lloyd Isgrove, who had flown up in the morning to join the club on loan from Southampton until early January, but it is going to take more than a busy little winger to lift them out of the doldrums.

Barnsley particularly missed midfield duo Conor Hourihane (hamstring) and Ben Pearson (ban) and there was little to none of the verve that had typified their early-season performances.

Had it not been for Townsend going full length to keep out a curling drive from Bobby Grant and pushing off the line Richard Wood’s powerful downward header from a 66th-minute corner, then Fleetwood’s winning margin would have been greater.

Johnson admitted: “In the first half we looked like an Under-18 team attacking a professional outfit. We did not do enough. People were still trying but we did not have the quality.

“It was a poor goal to concede and I asked the lads at half-time to try and dig him (Digby) out of trouble to try and flip the psychology a bit, to get that team spirit, bonding by getting a goal and going round him and giving him a high-five and saying ‘there you go pal, we’ve got you out of trouble’.

“Without doubt, this is the worst spell of my football career, mentally as well. I have never lost five on the spin as a player or a manager, but they say no guts no glory. We will come through this and be stronger for it.

“I still believe our best XI is a match for anybody in the division and once I get my best XI out I know we will turn it round and start winning games, but that XI needs to get out sharpish.”