Portsmouth v Barnsley FC: New signings will have to prove fitness to each chance, says Michael Duff

That is the message from manager Michael Duff, given the paucity of game time five of the six players he brought to the club last month have barely played since November.

Barnsley brought in Harry Istead from Luton Town, Bobby Thomas from Burnley, Jon Russell from Huddersfield and Max Watters from Cardiff on loan deals while Barry Cotter joined from Shamrock Rovers for an undisclosed and Oli Shaw Kilmarnock came in from Kilmarnock on deadline day.

Everyone but Thomas has hardly played, but speaking after Barnsley's impressive 2-1 win at Oxford in one of their games in hand on Wednesday night, Duff said: “We can’t spend the money other teams in the league can but we think we have added a bit of quality and the new players have bought into the team ethos.

“With all due respect, if they had been ripping it up in the Championship and playing every week, we wouldn’t get them.”

He added: “We’ll try to get them fit on the job which is not easy.

"Max is starting to look sharper and like himself, that’s why we wanted him in early not on deadline day.”

There were departures, most notably goalkeeper Jack Walton to Luton Town, leaving Duff to assess the window as: “Time will tell and we’ll know at the end of the season it’s been good enough.

"But we’re happy at the moment.”

Standings-wise the Reds are sixth, five points clear of those outside the play-offs – of which Portsmouth are one of the teams hoping to make a late run – and four points adrift of the in-form teams above them, Derby and Bolton.

But Barnsley still have three games in hand on the latter, and showed in winning on Wednesday night they are not afraid to take the opportunities when they arise.

“Other teams in and around the play-offs would have been looking at our result tonight,” said Duff.

“We’ve got games in hand but they mean nothing if you don’t win the games, so it was pleasing to have won that one.”

Duff has revealed 22-year-old midfielder Matty Wolfe is out for the season after damaging his knee in a practice match last Saturday. "He’s done pretty much everything you can do in your knee,” said Duff.