Shrewsbury Town v Barnsley FC: Boss praises 'intensity' of Jon Russell and 'serious' Vimal Yoganathan
THE challenge of getting the best out of Jon Russell on a consistent basis is a task that has been entrusted to several head coaches during his career and Darrell Clarke is currently in the ‘chair’.
On his day, the Barnsley midfielder is a major asset and Clarke has witnessed enough moments of quality to attest to that - with that prowess seen in the club’s last two games against Charlton and Blackpool.
The trick, as always, is doing it over a longer period of time.
On the ex-Huddersfield Town player, Clarke said: "Jon has played high up in the pitch in the last few games.
"He started at Huddersfield as a ‘ten’ in the pocket and then as a ‘eight’ and he seems, for whatever reason, to have dropped down as a ‘six’ for a lot of his time at this football club. “But he certainly looked dangerous and was unlucky not to score and hit the bar and had one off the line the other day. It was another good performance.
"For me, his intensity has improved in training in (terms of) what me and the staff have asked of him and he’s deserved his opportunity and he’s taken it and it’s great to see.
"He can play ‘six’ or an ‘eight’ and can play as a sitting or attacking midfielder and is flexible in that department and is a very good player."
The last two games have also been noteworthy for another midfielder in Vimal Yoganathan, with the Tamil teenager following up his substitute appearance in the win at Bloomfield Road with his first league start in midweek.
Clarke added: "Vimal is still just a ‘baby’. But he’s got energy and I like the kid.
"He’s serious about his football and has had opportunities this season. Like all the young lads, he will dip in and dip out, but he’s deserved one or two starts this season (so far).
"He’s not going to be a regular in my team (this season). No disrespect, he’s not ready for that, but he’s growing, learning and training really well.
"I’ll keep trying to promote one or two of our younger players to give them that exposure and experience so they learn as early as they possibly can. He’s certainly not let anybody down."