Barnsley FC interim head coach Martin Devaney and midfielder Luca Connell on the sacking of Neill Collins ahead of crunch Northampton Town game

Collins paid the price for a poor run of two wins in 11 games which has placed their hopes of League One play-off participation in peril after being top-two candidates less than two months ago.

Barnsley need to win Saturday’s home game with Northampton Town to confirm a top-six spot, although results elsewhere could also save them.

Devaney, in his second spell at the caretaker helm after two matches in charge at the end of the 2021-22 relegation season, said: “As a colleague, I worked really well with Neill this year, it’s always disappointing to see a friend lose a job.

"But it was a decision made by the club and I have been asked to take this really important game, so there’s no hesitation from myself to take it. I am really looking forward to it.”

On the decision to part company with Collins, the club stalwart added: “I think it’s football, it’s disappointing and you always set out to win a game and have always got an opposition trying to stop you from executing your game plan.

"We fell short in certain moments and spells with a lack of concentration and obviously with the run of games, the pressure builds and there’s expectation.

"We haven’t been able to get over the line, but we have still got a fantastic opportunity and it’s in our hands and that’s how we want it and we’re looking really forward for a really positive performance.”

Sign up to our new Sports Editor’s TeamTalk newsletter available this week

Devaney has stressed he is not looking beyond Saturday’s game in terms of his own future in charge – with Austrian head coach Dominik Thalhammer strongly linked with the permanent post – while admitting that the situation of coming in ahead of the final game of the season is an unusual one.

He added: “My focus is Saturday, that’s all I am concerned about.

"You never know when you are going to ne walking into a team and be asked to manage and guide the team.

"It’s an opportunity and a club so close to my heart. I want to do it so bad (do well) and the boys do and I know how important it is for the fans and everyone at this football club.

"Jon (Stead - Collins’ assistant) has been great and helped for last two or three days. He’s been great and positive.”

Midfielder Luca Connell admits that Collins exit represented a ‘massive shock.’

Connell said: “It was a massive shock to everyone involved and at the club. It’s never nice to see anybody lose their job, especially when you are working that close to them, day to day.

"But it’s football and we have to look at Saturday now.

"The CEO put a message in and told us it was going to happen and it obviously got messaged to the public on Instagram and things like that and obviously, we are all on that and saw it.”

On whether players had let Collins down, he added: "I think it’s more than fair to say that. But we’ve also done him proud in certain things.

"So I think it’s hard to just point fingers and everyone has to look at themselves. I’m sure the gaffer will have looked at himself. We can’t just point fingers because the gaffer has gone, we have to look at ourselves.