Hill staying positive as he sets survival target

Manager Keith Hill accepts that Barnsley’s campaign in 2012 has been a ‘travesty’, but that does not mean their season is beyond rescue.

The Reds have won just eight League games in the calendar year, a statistic Hill knows would have resulted in relegation had the season been January to December.

But it is not, and despite no win in 11 games they remain firmly in the hunt to achieve their stated ambition of avoiding relegation at the end of the season.

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“We’re in a position where we’ve not been cut adrift and everything we want to achieve this season is still possible,” said Hill, whose side would have climbed out of the bottom three had they earned a draw against Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday.

“2012 hasn’t been a great year, but first of all we retained our Championship status last season, and, secondly, we can still do that this season.

“We’ve not been out for the count, we’ve probably had a few standing eight counts, but we’re surviving.

“Eight wins is not good, ridiculous in the footballing world. It’s been a travesty, 2012, results wise.

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“I’ve seen a lot of evidence that we’re going in the right direction, but I can’t and won’t hide away from the fact that results in 2012, if they were put into one season, would result in relegation. But we’ve still got the opportunity to achieve our objective which is to avoid relegation and keep the wheel moving forward.

“Everybody’s got to be fighting for that. We cannot keep debating, we’ve got to do. We’ve got to make sure we’re prepared to fight and the players have shown me through their performances that they are prepared to work hard.”

Hill accepts the responsibility for their poor form is his, but that his players must also be accountable once they cross the white line. He is targeting 30 points from the remaining 24 games, a tally that would give Barnsley 48 points in all.

What heartens Hill is that away from home they have managed to pull off some positive results, notably the draw at Bolton and then the point at promotion-chasing Leicester two weeks ago, which until a stoppage-time goal would have been three points.