Barnsley FC players and staff fighting for their futures, says Gerhard Struber

Fraught times prevail at crisis club Wigan, where administrators made 75 non-playing staff redundant earlier this week, with players to receive only 20 per cent of their monthly wages.

On the pitch, a 12-point deduction is likely to propel the Latics from mid-table right into the thick of the Championship relegation scrap.

Paul Cook’s side remain defiant with the Wigan chief dedicating Wednesday’s 1-0 win over QPR to those staff who have lost their jobs, the club and town.

Mercifully, Barnsley are free from the strife experienced at Wigan, but Struber is conscious of the need for his players to fight for themselves and their club tomorrow, with relegation to League One likely to have repercussions.

Struber, who has labelled the fixture as a must-win one, said: “This is the challenge. We are also fighting for our careers and chance to stay in the league. It is a challenge for Wigan and my team on Saturday.

“Everyone must go on his personal limit, maybe out of his border of personal performance.

“Every game is an emotional game, but on Saturday, everyone knows what they need. This is a game with strong fights. We have to keep fighting.”

Barnsley head into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw at fellow strugglers Luton where they paid the price for a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

That encounter saw top-scorer Cauley Woodrow’s goal drought extend to seven matches, while Conor Chaplin has netted just three times in his past 15 outings.

Jacob Brown has also scored just twice in the league since late October.

For his part, Woodrow insists his confidence has not been dented and head coach Struber also retains faith in his forwards at the season’s critical phase.

Woodrow said: “I have scored really frequently since I have been at the club and now have not scored for a few games and everyone is saying: ‘why is he not scoring?’

“It is part of the game and I am not low on confidence.”

Struber added: “We have the right qualities and I trust my strikers.

“I hope that (Conor) Chaplin, Cauley Woodrow and Browny come back and can do what we want from them – scoring goals.

“Sometimes, it is not easy, but I trust my boys 100 per cent.”

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