Barnsley's barren spell seen by Heckingbottom as educational tool

HEAD COACH Paul Heckingbottom believes Barnsley's current losing streak will actually help his Oakwell rookies.
Barnsley's head coach Paul Heckingbottom.Barnsley's head coach Paul Heckingbottom.
Barnsley's head coach Paul Heckingbottom.

The Reds side is inexperienced when it comes to league football, with Heckingbottom looking for his young players to “learn on the job”.

A four-match losing run has seen the Tykes slide down the Championship – to sit four points off the relegation zone – ahead of tomorrow’s visit from Derby County.

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However, Heckingbottom feels Barnsley’s season will be full of “troughs and peaks” due to his squad’s inexperience producing a lack of consistency.

He believes the players will emerge from this current slump – after defeats by Cardiff City, Leeds United, Reading and Bolton Wanderers – all better for the experience.

“We had a young squad last year, but it was more experienced, just not at this level,” said Heckingbottom.

“We went through spells where we didn’t win, questions were asked, but it didn’t really affect the players. We want to do exactly the same this time.

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“The difference is now, for a lot of these players it’s their first taste of league football – never mind Championship football – and they have been together less time.

“Internally they may have little doubts, but this is where we have to work hard with them, support them, and get through it.”

Heckingbottom has impressed since taking his first managerial job at Barnsley in February 2016, succeeding Lee Johnson when he departed for Bristol City.

So does this current losing run pose his toughest spell as a manager?

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“Results-wise it probably is, if you think of losing four on the spin,” he replied. “Results are everything, and everyone is judged on that.

“We want to win, but if that’s all you focus on, you are not going to get better. We are not about that, we need to focus on getting better all the time.

“Last season we prepared the players for a barren spell, this season the same, but you have to go through it to understand what it’s about. That’s what football is.

“If you want to get better at this level and compete, you have to go through these times, get stronger, and gradually, year-on-year, you will have fewer of them.”

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He continued: “The end goal is to stay in this league, and we have improved as the season goes on. That’s my aim, and, however we do it, we do it.

“No one can feel sorry for themselves, go in their shell. If you do, that’s when we learn about players.

“Our approach is the same; we want the players to go out and enjoy their football, the fans to get behind them, and this is when you learn about the players.”

Against the backdrop of a takeover saga that has dragged on for several months, Heckingbottom’s January transfer window recruitment plans are uncertain, although he is desperate to bring in a new striker.

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“We need a different type of striker,” he said. “There’s plenty out there, it just depends on what we can do.

“It’s pointless talking about the takeover, you can talk about it all day long.

“We just don’t know, it’s as simple as that. We just have to wait and see what happens.

“We are talking about it (transfers) all the time, but that’s all we can do, talk, until January until we know what we can do.”