Barnsley chief backing former Leeds United player Alex Mowatt to deliver

Mowatt endured a nightmare debut, being dismissed just 42 minutes into his bow against Wolves on January 31 to pick up an immediate three-match suspension.

The former Leeds United midfielder came on from the bench late on in the 2-0 loss to Brighton on February 18 following the completion of his suspension and was substituted after an hour of last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Huddersfield and has yet to make his mark with the Reds.

But Heckingbottom believes that the best is to come from the Doncaster-born player and has stressed it is not a case of waiting for next season for that to happen.

Heckingbottom, who reported new fresh injuries for the weekend game at Derby, said: “In the six games, he has only been available for three and we knew when we took him that he had not played as many games as we’d wanted.

“We know he’s a good player and has a lot to offer us. It is not a case of waiting for next year as he has got to produce as soon as he can and we will keep pushing and pushing because he is going to be a good player for us.”