'Disappointed' - Barnsley FC boss Conor Hourihane's blunt admission after Reading draw
Conor Hourihane did not feel his Barnsley side ever got going during their 2-2 draw with Reading.
After defeating Blackpool 2-1 on home turf last week, the Reds were hoping to follow up the result with a victory on the road.
Reading took the lead through Haydon Roberts before goals from David McGoldrick and Adam Phillips turned the game on its head.
The visitors were on course for a win before Jack Marriott levelled proceedings with just six minutes of normal time remaining.
Conor Hourihane’s verdict
Hourihane said: “It was a game of very few chances and, to be honest, I didn’t think that we were great today.
“Reading are a decent side but I was a little disappointed, I felt that we never quite got going in the game.
“In general play, I don’t think that we played with the ball as much as we would like and how we have showed this season.
“We were pinned back a lot defensively by Reading, even though I thought that we defended our box quite well and limited their chances.
“But we didn’t create many chances, either. It was a game of very fine margins and there was not much in it. A draw was probably a fair result.”
The Reading view
Reading boss Leam Richardson, meanwhile, said: “I suppose we could have been better with the goals that we conceded. But overall, could our players have given any more? No, I don’t think so.
“We had some really good moments and it’s now about can we get better and can we keep improving. We had some really good individual performances today and we were also very good collectively against a very good Barnsley side.
“They’ve had lads on the pitch today who Championship clubs are bidding four or five or six million pounds for them.
“Haydon got up and down the left and that’s just the attributes I wanted to look forward to seeing in our team.
“This is a very good level, you’ve got to be adaptable and versatile. It’s a little bit like the Championship used to be, very tactical as well.
“With our players, some of them are learning on the job. It’s important that we have to give them that education daily and then maybe on a Saturday and a Tuesday.
“There is competition in the squad now and I’d rather have those headaches than those when I first came in the building. That’s the moment that we were in previous to me coming here. I’m sure that they had their challenges. But now we’ve got to push forward and make positive decisions.”