Conor Hourihane believes fan protest affected Barnsley FC in win over Exeter City
Barnsley head coach Conor Hourihane believes the fan protest staged during his side’s 2-1 win over Exeter City affected his players.
David McGoldrick and Vimal Yoganathan fired the Reds into a 2-0 lead before the game was stopped due to a fan protest.
A group of supporters threw tennis balls on to the pitch midway through the first half to express their frustration with the club hierarchy.
Jayden Wareham pulled a goal back for Exeter late on but it proved to be a mere consolation.
Despite being delighted with the result, Hourihane claimed the protest did not help the team.
Conor Hourihane on fan protest
He said: “I did think it affected us a little bit, I‘ve got to be honest. We were in our stride. We were winning 2-0 – I get fans can be frustrated and they’ve got their opinion, and they’re valid to that, but in that moment I don’t think it helped the team.
“I want to win as many games as I can and have that connection with the fans. But in that moment, it probably just didn’t help us, which is a little bit disappointing.
“But I get that they want to voice it as well, and they’re fully entitled to it.”
Barnsley boss on crucial win
The win moved Barnsley into the top half of the League One table, with the Reds now sitting 12th.
Hourihane said: “We were all really, really disappointed after Tuesday (loss to Wycombe Wanderers). We’ve had in-depth discussions around what went wrong, how can we get better.
“I asked the lads to put in a performance that ultimately just wins. We did that today so I’m really pleased for everyone.”
The Exeter City view
Newly-appointed Exeter boss Matt Taylor, meanwhile, said: “I’m immensely proud in terms of that could have gone a different way – given we were 2-0 down after 15 minutes.
“We started the game really brightly for four or five minutes, and then [we concede from] two long balls into our back line.
“On another day, we could have got a point. I don’t want that 10-minute period to define today. It’s still a positive.”