Barnsley: Planning for next season starts now: Johnson

LEE JOHNSON says his thoughts have now turned to next season after seeing his Barnsley side pegged back in a frustrating 1-1 draw at lowly Notts County – which ended their play-off quest.
Lee JohnsonLee Johnson
Lee Johnson

After a dream start to his Oakwell career which propelled his side into the play-off positions in League One, the Reds have been handed a reality check in the past month and have tailed off from top-six contention.

They extended their winless streak to seven matches in their draw at Meadow Lane.

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Barnsley, who recorded their fifth draw in seven matches, are now nine points adrift of sixth-placed Chesterfield with three games to go, with their hopes of victory against the Magpies dashed by a late Balint Bajner leveller after Sam Winnall put the visitors in front with a superb half-volley after just nine minutes.

It was a three points that the Reds threw away in the view of the head coach, whose side are in ninth spot in the table.

Johnson said: “I thought we should have been away, we should have won the game.

“We did well enough to win the game in the first 60 minutes.

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“We have hit the post and the bar and they should have had a sending off. Jabo (Ibehre) should have probably scored that one-on-one with the ‘keeper. We’ve been well in the game.

“Key things happen and you have got to take advantage, but we didn’t for some reason. To be fair to them, they kept going - they are fighting for their lives.

“You have got to beware the wounded animal, if you like. They are always going to throw caution to the wind. We had enough breaks that we should have done better with.”

He added: “There were some decent performances in there and a couple that need improving in my opinion.

“We begin the build for next year now. We want to win games and we’ll go into the end of the season wanting to win games.”