Northampton Town v Barnsley: Derby road win and clean sheet offer Reds hope, says Marc Roberts

He and his Reds team-mates have shown glimpses of their prowess this season, but all too often it’s been followed by a self-inflicted loss or sloppy moment or two. It explains why the team’s season has been so maddeningly inconsistent.

Saturday was one of the better days and certainly more important. Barnsley weren’t brilliant at Rotherham United, but found a way to win and remained strong – and most importantly focused – in their defensive work from start to finish.

It's the sort of victory they haven’t produced enough of in 2024-25.

Leading the way in peerless fashion in that regard was Roberts, who returned from suspension. He was the best player on the pitch.

He said: “We have more than enough quality to beat anyone in this league as long as we are concentrating and stick to that as well.

“Whether it’s a 1-0 and you nick something, we are always going to get chances as a team if we can stick to the basics and be disciplined and do that side of the game well.

“I think we have got to show that a little bit more, from the first to the 90th minute. We need to stay at it as we come ‘off’ it in games at times."

On Saturday's derby, he added: "It's about who wants it more and who can graft a little bit more. It’s those little moments in games and the gaffer has mentioned it loads of times about staying in moments. We knew they (Rotherham) were going to put us under pressure.

“I don’t think they created any chances, but we knew they were going to put balls in the box and balls forward and try and put us under pressure that way and I thought we dealt with it as a team really well from front to back and it was a pleasing win.”

Alongside registering a first success in seven matches alongside a season’s double and extending their unbeaten sequence over the Millers to 13 games, Barnsley chalked up a first away clean sheet since October 26.

Now they must show similar steel and durability at Northampton if they are to come away with victory to maintain their outside play-off hopes.

Berated for their ‘soft’ and ‘flaky’ side by Darrell Clarke recently, the Reds players seemed determined to do something about it on Saturday. But one swallow doesn’t make a summer.

Roberts added: “No-one likes fingers being pointed at them and when someone is questioning your character or whatever, you want to stand up and show you are not soft and you are resilient.

“This full squad – coaches and manager as well – want to show we are not in it to lay down and drop down the table. It's only one game, but hopefully we can take a bit out of it and roll on and get another run because we are well capable of it.”

The big centre-half thoroughly enjoyed the derby stage and at this juncture of his career, days like Saturday are especially rewarding.

The 34-year-old continued: “These are class games and the atmosphere is good and both sets of fans want it. It doesn’t mean a little bit more but it seems to.

"There’s tackles going in and he are good to be involved in, when you are on the right side."