Hull City ‘must do better’ insists Richie Smallwood after defeat to Barnsley

The Reds won 2-0 but it could easily have been more, and in the second half they seemed content to sit on their lead.

Barnsley are bottom of the Championship – even now – having been in the relegation battle all season, and had not won away all season. They had only scored 16 goals, the worst tally in the Football League.

A Hull team on the back of creditable draws at play-off chasing Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers expected better of themselves.

“Nowhere near good enough, nowhere near the standards we’ve shown, especially in the last week,” was midfielder Smallwood’s damming verdict.

“I don’t know what happened but from minute one it went wrong. We didn’t turn up, we got bullied, we got outrun.

“It was far short of where we’ve been and where we need to be.

“We didn’t start well apart from that (Lewis-Potter) chance (where the forward volleyed wide in the second minute of the game), we gave the ball away sloppily in our own half when we should have ben turning them and getting them on the front foot and then we just sat off them. We didn’t get the first ball, didn’t get the seconds and they outran us through the middle.

“There was a slight improvement (in the second half), not much. We had one big chance (for Tyler Smith).”

Saturday’s game at Peterborough United takes on added importance with Posh 13 points behind Hull but with three games in hand.

“We owe them one from the game earlier on in the season and there’s a rivalry from last season,” said Smallwood.

“I just want to see a reaction, to see everyone train well like we have been doing. There’s not been many performances like that whether it’s tiredness or mentality after QPR and Sheffield United.”