Ipswich Town v Barnsley: Flitcroft sees need for Barnsley to take small steps towards increased security

The porous Reds, who have shipped in 30 goals in 13 Championship matches, have the second-worst defensive record in the country, behind Crewe Alexandra (31).

Barnsley’s lamentable goals against tally has also contributed to them being the only team in the Football League yet to pick up a point away from home this term – they have suffered six straight defeats.

You have to go back to the Reds’ ‘survival Saturday’ clash at Huddersfield Town in early May for the last time they pocketed something on their travels, while their last Championship clean sheet was 14 matches ago in the 2-0 win over Hull on April 27.

Flitcroft is anxious those worrying sequences are rectified quickly, starting at Ipswich Town tonight.

The Reds chief, mindful his second-from-bottom side can jump up four places to 19th with victory in this evening’s televised Championship game, said: “I am desperate, as are my coaching staff, to find the answers.

“We are working on the players individually and as units collectively.

“We will continue to try and get the balance right and get better at not conceding.

“I know that the stats are out there and people love throwing them at you. But we can’t do anything about those, but (Barnsley can) affect the next game, which is Ipswich.

“Where we are in the league, we are trying to get small wins and the smallest win at the minute is the half-time clean sheet.

“We got it against Sheffield Wednesday, but didn’t manage to build on that.

“Once we have achieved the first, the second one is keeping a second-half clean sheet.

“It’s a little bit too easy to say it will just kick us onto a run of form. We are just trying to get the solutions to get clean sheets.”

While defensive deficiencies continue to flare up for Barnsley, the overall picture is certainly rosier at Oakwell, where they have taken four points from two home matches against Middlesbrough and the Owls after a six-game winless league streak featuring five losses.

But Flitcroft is under no illusions that keeping the back door shut is of critical importance to the Reds’ seasonal fortunes and says his defenders must start assuming individual responsibilty for that to occur.

He added: “What we have got right is defending from the front, whether it be Daggers (Chris Dagnall), Chris O’Grady, (Marcus) Pedersen, (Danny) Rose and (Jason) Scotland.

“The midfield in the early part of the season let us down in tracking and not protecting the defensive unit. Now we have got that right, the last bit of defensive detail is the defenders.

“The goal we conceded against Sheffield Wednesday was criminal in the way we all came out. Nobody picked (Matty) Fryatt up.

“Our individual responsibilities haven’t been good enough, and I am getting to that point where I really want to tie down that clean sheet and an away performance.

“Our away form on paper looks as bad as anything in the league or in the country.

“But I go back to the Nottingham Forest game where we were six minutes away if Scott Wiseman does his job. Then there was Bournemouth, Blackpool and Leicester...”

Centre-half and captain Martin Cranie has echoed Flitcroft’s call for more defensive steel and says the fact Barnsley are still awaiting their first away points in 2013-14 is acutely embarrassing.

On that unfortunate statistic, he said:“It’s hard to look at (the table). I think it is for everyone; no one likes to have a look and see we haven’t picked up a point all season (away).

“I think it’s down to concentration. We have conceded the most goals in the Football League, which is not nice to look at. We have been doing a lot of defensive work recently and hopefully that will pay off.”

Despite featuring for the development squad on Tuesday, tonight’s game is set to come too soon for summer signing Lewin Nyatanga, yet to make his second Reds debut due to a knee injury.

Last six games: Ipswich DLDDWL; Barnsley DWLDLL.

Last time: Ipswich 1 Barnsley 1; January 19, 2013; Championship.

Referee: A D’Urso (Billericay).