Barnsley FC comment: Why the shadow of Kieffer Moore continues to loom large

But it is something not lost upon Gerhard Struber and certainly not their supporters.

Treading water in the second half against Chelsea, Barnsley had no 'out-ball' to alleviate the pressure. It exacerbated their defensive issues.

There was no target man who was able to compete with the home defenders and fight and potentially provide a touch of respite for the Reds' harassed defenders and midfield. Or at least break play up.

The ball came coming back and back in waves and those in blue enjoyed a feast.

Even against much, much less accomplished sides than Chelsea, Barnsley's lack of a physical option to offer variety as much as anything else up top has stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb over the past year for spells.

Going forward, Barnsley possess undoubted threats on their day. They possess clever movement, energy and willingness.

Cauley Woodrow and Conor Chaplin came to the party for spells last season and Patrick Schmidt - while being a work in progress - is gaining in confidence.

But - and this is not meant as a criticism in any way whatsoever - they are nice to play against.

They do not possess a player to fight with opposing centre-halves. Look at the way Luton's experienced centre-halves Sonny Bradley and Matty Pearson subjugated Barnsley's forwards.

Opposing sides will use that as a a template at Oakwell. Disrupt Barnsley's flow, show some physicality and send out a message. The team-talk of visiting sides especially will revolve around softening up the hosts.

A new addition would also prevent Woodrow from having to drop so deep to search for the ball. He is not the sort of forward to play head tennis with big, rugged centre halves. It is not his game.

No-one would benefit with the addition of a physically strong forward than he would.

Put simply, the shadow of Kieffer Moore continues to loom large over Barnsley since his departure last August.

After successfully bringing in a defensive leader in Michael Sollbauer, bringing in a strong presence up front - they don't grow on trees - should be devoting Barnsley's energies ahead of the deadline.

The club got it right with Sollbauer. Now for the next trick.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield after his side's 6-0 Carabao Cup exit at Chelsea, Struber said: "Our offence is okay, but we need new strikers.

"We need players who can help us score goals. At the moment, it is not too easy to see and I have the responsibility to work and find the right players.

"The board knows my situation and what we want and I think we have a very good exchange with the board. But in the end, they have to invest otherwise we have a similar situation like last year.

"Now, we have lost (Jacob) Brown with a big impact in our play and pressing and right now, we need a replacement. You can see at the moment, we play very well without output and at the moment, it is our issue."