Darrell Clarke on why grinding it out has been a major League One problem for Barnsley FC this season
OVER the course of a league season, the games in which most teams perform excellently invariably take care of themselves in terms of outcome.
Roughly speaking, they occur perhaps seven or eight times during a 46-game campaign and lead to wins.
On the flip side, bad performances in another seven or eight fixtures usually result in losses.
Results in the other 30-odd games are the ones which ultimately decide final league positions - bread and butter games which are relatively close and usually not particularly memorable and can go either way and are reliant on game management.
It is in this aspect where Barnsley have proved deficient so far in 2024-25.
The Reds, who head into Saturday’s derby with another off-colour side in Huddersfield Town on the back of a five-match winless streak, find themselves off the play-off pace with the clock ticking regarding their top-six pitch.
Part of the reason why is they have failed to win enough run-of-the-mill fixtures - and Darrell Clarke is not one to disagree.
The Reds chief, whose side were beaten twice in the space of a week in league and trophy games at Town in the autumn, said: "There’s times where we can play some really good football and times where we need to dig in and produce our front-foot football, but also dig in more.
"We have lacked that in a few games this season and it’s been our downfall a little bit.
"It’s an area we speak about a lot. We have to see spells out and then return to get playing our football.
"We have got to be able to defend. I am not arrogant enough to think we will always be on the front foot.
"It’s a difficult league with difficult teams to play against. We have to make sure we are better at that part of the game."