Barnsley FC v Stevenage: Josh Earl makes Conor Hourihane revelation - plus praise for unsung defender
CONOR Hourihane may have hung up his boots earlier this winter, but his ability to drive on Barnsley’s players is still very much apparent.
It’s by leaderboard and not necessarily by leadership in truth, these days.
In a bid to get the competitive juices flowing among the Reds defenders, the first-team coach – who also takes responsibility for set-plays – has introduced a leaderboard to determine who will be the best defender in the scoring stakes in 2024-25.
It’s a close call at the minute, with Josh Earl having put himself nicely in contention after goals this winter against Bristol Rovers and Reading in the race for this particular ‘Green Jacket’ come late spring.
Earl said: "Conor has got a little leaderboard when we do set-pieces and stuff, which is good. Robbo (Marc Roberts) is leading at the moment and Donny (Pines) is not far behind him or he might even be ahead of him, I’m not sure.
"Even little things like that get you a bit more excited to go and attack the corner and get yourself on the leaderboard. It’s all good fun."
Barnsley's other Conor in the shape of Irish defender Conor McCarthy is another who is having a positive influence on those around him at Oakwell, even if he has had to endure plenty of tough moments over the past couple of years.
Sidelined for a lengthy spell after sustaining a serious knee injury in the autumn of 2022, McCarthy was elevated to the starting line-up over the festive and new year period owing to injuries to Roberts and Earl.
The pair are now back involved, but his impact has drawn praise from his team-mates, including Earl.
He added: "Definitely. Conor’s professionalism is second to none. He’s always trained as hard as he possibly can do.
"He benefits us even if he is not in the starting team because he is always doing it right and properly. He deserves his chance, he’s been magnificent as he’s been training really professionally and hard. He took his chance really well and he was very good for those games he played."
Barnsley head into Saturday's home game with Stevenage on the back of a surprise 3-1 loss at Bristol Rovers, which provided a shot across their bows following a strong four-match winning sequence at league level.
It is a reminder that, despite their upturn at the end of 2024 and opening to the new year, they have far from cracked it and have much work to do if they are to nail down a top-six spot, with several sides chasing them down.
For Earl and co, motivation to avoid a tail-off akin to the final third of last season, which almost cost the Reds their play-off place, is high.
He added: "Of course, it’s always the toughest time of the season to pick up results, as everyone is after the same thing, but it is also the best time to do it.
"If you go on a good run towards the back end of the season, especially when you are going to get in the play-offs, it puts you in good stead and form and you climb the table quite quickly in that period of the season.
"With the experience we had last season, we don’t want to experience that again. It gives us more motivation, definitely."