Barnsley FC captain Luca Connell reveals what Darrell Clarke said to him following his sacking at League One club

Clarke was shown the door by Barnsley on Wednesday after 44 games in charge in all competitions following his arrival from Cheltenham Town last summer.

Conor Hourihane will take interim charge of the Reds, supported by Martin Devaney, Jon Stead and Tom Harban, for the final 10 games of the League One season, starting at Mansfield Town on Saturday.

Midfielder Connell spoke to Clarke following his axing on Wednesday, with the Liverpudlian forging a strong bond with the 47-year-old, who gave him the captain’s armband ahead of the start of the season following the close-season departure of Jordan Williams.

Connell said: "I spoke to the gaffer and said: ‘thank you for putting your trust in me and giving me the captaincy and obviously playing me a lot this season.

"It is never nice to see anybody go and he was highly-rated around Barnsley and it is just sad to see how it ended.

"One thing the gaffer was (as a person) was fair and he said to me that not everything goes to plan and it is not always going in the right direction, but just make sure you try your best and push for the last 10 games and see where it can take you.”

Barnsley are currently in 10th position and are eight points behind the team currently occupying the final play-off spot in Bolton Wanderers, who still have to visit Oakwell this season.

The Reds have won just three of their last 11 matches since January 4.

Adam Phillips will be back in contention for the short trip down the M1 to Mansfield Town, who triumphed at Oakwell on the opening night of the season.

The game sees ex-Stags striker Davis Keillor-Dunn make his first return to Field Mill since his move at the end of the summer window.