Barnsley FC v Crewe: 'We have the quality to score goals,' insists Daniel Stendel
DANIEL Stendel has decisions to make ahead of finalising his line-up for the first competitive midweek game of his second coming at Barnsley.
The German has promoted youth in the shape of teenage duo Arley Kay and Luke Alker in the first few weeks of the campaign, while senior players Jack Shepherd and Corey O'Keeffe (inset) have been unused substitutes in the opening three matches.
An option for Stendel would be to hand the young pair a breather, with the Reds facing a weekend trip to Leyton Orient alongside two league games next week.
Noah Town, who has been handed three successive appearances from the bench, could come into Stendel’s thinking in terms of a maiden start.
Other youngsters such as Noah Saunders and Callum Hudson may also be in the mix, while summer signing Clayton Taylor - who made his Reds bow late on Saturday - could be handed further game time following his brief cameo after recovering from injury.
Stendel said: "Every player likes to play instead of training and we will try to win this game on Tuesday.
"And also next weekend, we play away at Leyton Orient. I think it's a good chance to play in front of our supporters and we will see, maybe some players that don't start on Saturday will start on Tuesday.
"We will look at the situation with the guys that started and then we will make the right decision for Tuesday."
Both outgoings and incomings are likely in the final full week of the window at Oakwell, with Stendel particularly keen to bring in at least one more striking option.
He said: "I think everybody can see that we need some more options and (there are) some positions we have not really occupied at the moment.
"But there is also the situation (that) we have some players that want to leave or have to leave and we will be looking in the next few days, but I think it's more than one player."
Asked about interest in any players, he continued: "The good thing is that this is not my job (signing players).
"It doesn't matter which player we would sign in the next, I don't know. What we have to do is everybody has to desire more to score a goal.
"I think we have the quality to score goals, but we just need a bit of confidence.
"If we win one game with a great goal, then I think the rest will come."