Blackburn Rovers v Barnsley: Reds boss looking to hone a new attacking edge

Recent events are likely to have crystallised that belief, with the Reds head coach anxious to supplement his ranks with some fresh and different striking options.

Variety is very much likely to be the spice of life for him on that front.

Heckingbottom’s frustration at his side’s lack of a ruthless finishing edge to complement some accomplished attacking play has been evident during the Reds’ last two games against Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday – and it is becoming a recurring theme.

It has helped contribute to an eight-match winless streak and you have to go back to mid-February for the Reds’ last victory – a 3-1 success at Aston Villa.

The problem has been particularly pressing on home soil, with Heckingbottom hoping that the counter-attacking tactics which have borne fruit on the road can be reprised successfully over the next two games at the struggling Lancastrian duo of Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic.

With another away game before the end of the season against a relegation-threatened side in former Reds chief Lee Johnson’s Bristol City and home matches against Brentford and Burton, finding a clinical edge could enable the Reds to top off another largely commendable campaign. Heckingbottom is also looking at the bigger picture ahead of a final-day trip to Newcastle.

On his priority to bring in more forward options, Heckingbottom – conscious that Sam Winnall remains the club’s top scorer despite moving to Sheffield Wednesday in January – said: “One hundred per cent, yes – we know that. Not only strikers, but variations as well with players with different attributes and statures.

“We know we are going to have limitations in terms of finances. But that does not mean we cannot get ones in who complement each other because that is what you need.

“I say it all the time, but when you score, it is a different game and if we score first in games, we will generally go on and score more and it might be then that your strikers are scoring.

“But it is not just the strikers; everyone has to score as it makes everyone’s job easier.”

Today’s game pits together two sides in clear need of a win tonic, with lowly Rovers without a league victory in six matches.