Barnsley 1 Burnley 0: O’Driscoll turns down the offer to take over from sacked Hill

O’Driscoll was installed odds-on favourite to take charge of Barnsley on Saturday lunchtime, but an element of doubt crept in when Wolves sacked their manager Stale Solbakken following an embarrassing FA Cup defeat to non-league Luton.

Wolverhampton-born O’Driscoll had already been linked with the Molineux post following his recent sacking by Nottingham Forest, but the Midlands club have opted for Dean Saunders – O’Driscoll’s replacement at Doncaster Rovers.

However, in a statement, O’Driscoll last night said he would not be taking over at Oakwell following Keith Hill’s sacking.

“I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to have spoken to Barnsley,” read O’Driscoll’s statement, but he later added: “At this moment, and given the extremely disappointing and sudden nature of my departure from Nottingham Forest, I’ve respectfully declined the opportunity to become Barnsley’s next manager.”

The board were hopeful of making an appointment from a shortlist of five this week ahead of the Championship visit of Leeds United.

With things not going to plan, one suspects David Flitcroft would relish the challenge of trying to steer the Reds to Championship safety against all the odds.

Hill’s No 2 has been in charge for two games and he spoke with pride and passion after leading Barnsley to not only their first home win since September 1 but their first FA Cup victory since 2008 – the year they famously reached the semi-finals.

Hill had been linked with the vacancy at Plymouth, where he played as a defender, and Home Park appeared as if it might be the next port of call for Flitcroft.

But Plymouth yesterday appointed former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder John Sheridan.

When asked about his position at Oakwell, Flitcroft said: “I have not heard a thing all week. I have not gone searching for any answers because I think it would have been a distraction and I just really wanted to win this football match. We set a plan, we stuck to the plan and it worked.

“I have tried to give my best every day for the football club. Sometimes we got things wrong, sometimes we got things right, but when you lie on your pillow at night and think did you give it your best shot – well, no one will ever level that I didn’t at myself and I will continue to do that wherever my employment is.”

Flitcroft believes Barnsley have a bright long-term future with several youngsters ready to emerge from the academy It was one of them, Danny Rose, who pounced in the 86th minute to give them victory over 10-man Burnley.

Substitute Rose had only been on the field four minutes when goalkeeper Brian Jensen failed to catch the ball and it rebounded off the bar into the path of the 19-year-old, who stabbed it home.

Rose was then subjected to a 
haranguing from Clarets captain Jason Shackell and it sparked a fracas in the tunnel with Reds team-mates coming to his aid.

Flitcroft said: “I was made up for Danny Rose getting the winning goal. He’s somebody who will score goals for this football club and he’s got a real important one.

“This boy, once he grows into his body, is going to be some player and some goal-scorer for this football club. We’ve protected him and kept him where he’s at. Danny Rose will be all right for this experience.”

The visitors were a man down from the 37th minute when former Doncaster midfielder Brian Stock was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Jim O’Brien.

Stock had been booked along with Reds striker Marlon Harewood after some pushing and shoving as Barnsley prepared to take a free-kick, but Clarets chief Sean Dyche claimed his player was an innocent victim.

Harewood had been brought into the starting line-up as Craig Davies prepared to finalise a £300,000 move to Bolton Wanderers, a get-out clause in his contract having been triggered.

Flitcroft said: “We left him out for football reasons. It’s common knowledge that Craig wants to leave. I didn’t feel that he was focused against Peterborough – he was somewhere else, but you get that when moves are imminent and agents are involved. I don’t think he will play for the club again, but good luck to him because we have turned a good profit on him as we got him for a free.

“It is better he goes at the start of the window because the (Ricardo) Vaz Te deal at the end of January last year sort of killed us for our planning so if Davies goes at the start of the window the club can get a striker in and plan accordingly.”

Barnsley have accepted an offer from Blackpool for full-back Scott Wiseman.

The 27-year-old followed former manager Hill to Oakwell from Rochdale in 2010 and has made 64 league appearances.

Barnsley: Steele, Cranie, McNulty, Kennedy (Cywka 68); Stones, Dawson, O’Brien, Perkins, Golbourne; Harewood (Noble-Lazarus 85), Dagnall (Rose 84). Unused substitutes: Alnwick, Foster, Etuhu, Hassell.

Burnley: Jensen, Trippier, Duff (Bartley 83), Shackell, Lafferty; Ings, Marney, Stock, Treacy (Edgar 46); Wallace (Richards 69); Vokes. Unused substitutes: Grant, Stanislas, O’Neill, Fletcher.

Referee: P Tierney (Lancs).