Silent hero Foster hailed by Barnsley’s chief Hill

Hill believes the centre-back has been key to Barnsley conceding only 11 goals in 12 Championship games.

“I have a lot of honest, unsung heroes in my squad,” said Hill ahead of today’s trip to Cardiff.

“And the biggest unsung hero of the lot is Stephen Foster. He has been absolutely outstanding.

“He’s a silent hero, a silent leader, and too often he gets overlooked when it comes to dishing out the plaudits.

“He’s embraced everything Flicker (David Flitcroft) and I have introduced to the club, and it’s great to manage that type of player.”

Along with Foster, Hill praised a number of players who were at the club before he arrived. “Jim O’Brien gives us a threat going forward, on either flank, and his delivery in recent weeks has led to important goals for us,” he said.

“Andy Gray has led the forward line in a magnificent manner; Jacob Butterfield has shown he is a Premier League player in the making, and Luke Steele has been outstanding in goal. I could go on.

“Everyone is working hard and they want to play for the team rather than themselves.”

Hill believes the match at Cardiff will be a massive challenge. “Malky Mackay’s taken over the reins and they want to go one better and get promoted,” he said.