'I'm happy with both' - Barnsley FC boss Daniel Stendel explains Tobi Adeyemo and Makenzie Kirk usage
Barnsley boss Daniel Stendel has explained his usage of forwards Tobi Adeyemo and Makenzie Kirk
Barnsley head coach Daniel Stendel insisted he is “happy” with forwards Tobi Adeyemo and Makenzie Kirk after giving them a half each against Aldershot Town.
Adeyemo is still waiting for his first goal in Barnsley colours having arrived on a free transfer last month. The 21-year-old, who left Watford in the summer, made his fifth appearance for the Reds on Saturday (November 7) as they dismantled Aldershot in the FA Cup.
22-year-old Kirk, who is on loan at Oakwell from Portsmouth, replaced Adeyemo at half-time but could not add to his tally in the 7-2 cup mauling.
Daniel Stendel on Tobi Adeyemo and Makenzie Kirk
Explaining his decision to swap Kirk for Adeyemo at the interval, Barnsley boss Stendel said: “He's (Adeyemo) not injured. We have a little bit of a feeling, he wanted to score today a goal for himself, and we have the feeling he was not so much in the game.
“I said to him nothing changed, also when we substituted in the half-time, it was only that we wanted to give Makenzie Kirk the chance to play, maybe to get some confidence from this game, and I'm happy with both.”
Goals from elsewhere
Stendel is currently relying on the pair and the inexperienced Rylan Brownlie with Ben Hamed Toure away on compassionate leave. Adeyemo and Kirk may have blanked against the Shots, but the goals flowed from other areas of the pitch.
Talismanic captain and midfielder Cameron McGeehan grabbed a hat-trick, while in-form Vimal Yoganathan chipped in with two from the right flank. Reyes Cleary also got on the scoresheet, as did Brownlie.
Stendel said: “I think it's important that everybody looks for situations that you can score, not only our strikers.
“I think this is important, especially for the next weeks when we have some games against teams around our situation at the table, but also we talk a lot about our defence behaviour, we have to improve that, and I think it was a good step.”