Barnsley captain Luca Connell on fans' anger and ensuring League One season doesn't 'fizzle out' again
LUCA Connell did what all good captains should do and faced the music after Barnsley's poor derby performance and result against Doncaster Rovers.
It culminated in a few disgruntled boos at the end and opprobrium aimed towards both head coach Conor Hourihane and those in red jerseys as they clapped the Oakwell faithful following the final whistle.
Some chants of 'You're not fit the wear the shirt' could be heard.
It was the Reds' seventh game in 21 days and while have been other wider factors that need to cited for Barnsley falling away from the top-six picture in League One, the players were directly in the line of fire on Saturday and Connell admits that he and his team-mates can't overly complain.
He said: "They've got their right to be disappointed.
"They're spending their hard-earned money to come and watch us.
"And if we're not having chances or showing them the attacking football this club demands, then you're going to get those chants and fans that are going to be negative.
"But it's down to us to flip them and get them on our side."
In 13th place in the table, Barnsley's season is effectively over as a competitive entity – as it was before last Easter.
The tail-end of last season saw the Reds play out time in largely forgettable fashion – and for those who were around 12 months ago, there should be motivation to avoid the same mistakes.
Connell added: "It's important that we can't just let things fizzle out again.
"And we can't just get into a stage of just being staggered every game and thinking 'it's just another game'.
"We've got to go out there, perform for the fans and perform for ourselves, and just pick up as many points as we can.
"If we build momentum, you never know.
"So, we've just got to make sure that we keep pushing and see how many points we get."
After such an intense run of fixtures, Saturday looked a game too far for the Reds and their lack of genuine squad depth was exposed on the day.
Given that, the current international break is timely for a Barnsley side who return to action at Burton on Good Friday (April 3).
It is the start of an eight-game run in April, which includes six away matches.
Connell, said: "It probably has come at a good time. We've had a busy, busy schedule.
"But we've got a week or two now to make sure that we rest and are ready for the games that are coming again.
"Because it's another busy period. But we'll make sure that we're recharged and ready to go."
Reiterating that Barnsley won't be falling into the trap of feeling sorry for themselves, he continued: "Definitely not. There's 46 games in the same time period.
"Whether we've got a busy one now or they (opponents) have had a busy one at different times, it happens. So, we've just got to make sure that there's no excuses. Work hard, crack on, and we'll be ready for the last nine games."