Barnsley are looking for free agent strikers after being 'gutted' to have missed out on Oliver McBurnie.

The EFL cancelled the Reds' signing of McBurnie on a season-long loan from Swansea City because they had not submitted the correct paperwork by the deadline of 11pm on August 31. Head coach Paul Heckingbottom is now left with three senior strikers in Tom Bradshaw, Ike Ugbo and Mamadou Thiam until the January transfer window, unless he brings in an unattached free agent.

He told the Chronicle: "We'll definitely keep our eye out for who is available. We have competition throughout the squad but striker is the one position where we wanted four and have got three. There is no point getting a body in for the sake of it. It has to be the right person, character and type of player who offers something a little bit different."

He added: "We have only been using one up front so I am not worried. I have spoken to the three strikers about it. It's more minutes for them and more opportunities for them. But I have always said we have wanted four and I know it will affect us. I know in a few weeks it will hit me how significant it is."

Heckingbottom says Barnsley appealed the EFL's decision to block the transfer twice. He added: "We just couldn't get it over the line in time which is very frustrating when we had it sorted in May. When I left at 1pm after deadline day, I thought it was done then he was in training with us. But obviously we haven't got the paperwork in on time or there was an error with the paperwork. It shouldn't have happened. I am gutted about it."

Heckingbottom says he will keep in touch with McBurnie and admits the deal could still go ahead in January. He said: "First and foremost I feel for Oli. He's devastated because he was desperate to come and he saw it as a massive opportunity for him. When I called him to say it was off on Thursday afternoon he had just been viewing a house in our area and he was about to put an offer in for it. It wasn't nice.

"But we can't let him take it to heart and get too down on himself then lose four months of his career by not performing properly. I will push him, get stuck into him and make sure he is trying to get first team opportunities at Swansea. From his point of view it would be best if he had no chance of coming to us because he is in the Swansea team.

"But, if there is still an opportunity for us, we will be in touch."