Michael Duff delighted to see Barnsley FC's team-work rewarded as Reds set up League Cup trip to Leeds United

The Reds needed a bit of luck too to win 1-0 at Middlesbrough in round one but manager Duff was quite rightly not about to apologise for that playing against higher-division opposition.

Under the coach for pretty much all the second half, Barnsley had to defend well and rely on goalkeeper Jack Walton to make some saves but when they did substitute Josh Benson was able to score the game's only goal in its third added minute.

"It was a team performance," said Duff proudly. "We've had to ride our luck at times but you don't come away to a club of this stature without having to do that.

"It could have been a completely different story if we'd given up the chance in the second minute (when Walton saved one-on-one from Duncan Watmore), it could have been a a really long night.

"The thing we've been labouring a lot is togetherness, hard work, spirit and they can take you a long way in football. All those sorts of things gave us an opportunity to jump on a mistake at the end.

"There's a lot of players who've not had any minutes, people going down with cramp, all those sort of things, but they kept each other together and at it, and it buys you that moment.

"We changed our shape because they've got some good players.

"It's all right knowing what they're going to do but it's another thing to stop them.

"They slightly tweaked what they did at half-time and played wider and wider and we couldn't get out to them, then they switched the play it was killing us.

"But the most pleasing thing was the spirit and the togetherness.

"There's loads of things we can improve - we could pass the ball better and be a but cleaner with certain things but you've got to find a way to win a game of football and that's what we've done."