Barnsley's pride assuages loss of Dougall and Davies

Kenny Dougall in action for Barnsley (Picture: Tony Johnson).

Midfielder Dougall has received his maiden Socceroos call from new manager Graham Arnold, with the Brisbane-born player named in a training camp squad that will convene in the Turkish city of Antalya next week.

Meanwhile, captain Davies is in the Wales squad for the UEFA Nations League fixtures at home to the Republic of Ireland on September 6 and the trip to Aarhus to face Denmark three days later.

While the loss of the pair is far from ideal for the high-flying Reds, the pride in seeing the players called up outweighs the sense of disappointment at the disruption.

Winkler, who has hinted that Barnsley may yet bring in a new signing ahead of today’s loan deadline, commented on the call-ups for the duo: “The gaffer is always happy to have every player of the squad in the (Barnsley) line-up.

“We are not happy about that, but we are really proud of them (Davies and Dougall) and that Barnsley have a national player.

“But we are strong enough and we will have a good player on the field.

“Everybody is proud of the guys. I wish I could have done it in my career; it does not matter which country. International matches are always good.

“I hope that they come back and are more confident than before.”