Why Barnsley FC boss Neill Collins won't be afraid to disappoint more players after Jack Shepherd call

Shepherd, who joined the Reds in the close season from non-league Pontefract Collieries, was handed a fast-track promotion to the first team last month - and his authoritative performances justified the faith of Collins.

But the Scot chose to hand McCart, who recently joined on a season-long loan from Rotherham United, a League One bow against Burton and start with Shepherd on the bench - with the strong display of the loanee also being a clear tick in the box for the Reds chief.

Collins, whose side are chasing a fifth successive victory - and clean sheet - in all competitions at home to Portsmouth on Tuesday night, said: "To all intents and purposes, Jack Shepherd deserved to play, but we need a lot of players who deserve to play because of the way they train and how good they are.

"Jack did really well in the two games before that and I am really pleased with how he is progressing after coming into the team.

"It's a good situation to be in and Jack understood. The only one way to respond is to train even harder and show you are ready for the next chance.

"Jamie showed the quality he brings on Saturday and showed his experience and will only get better. Last year, he did not play loads of football. But prior to that, he has played a lot of games in the Scottish Premier League.

"It was a good league debut and hopefully there's many more performances like that to come."