Cauley Woodrow hopes he can add some extra freshness and goals to Barnsley’s team after returning from a hamstring injury.

The 23-year-old striker signed as a replacement for Millwall-bound Tom Bradshaw in August but was injured in his first training session and spent September and October returning to fitness. He made his debut as a substitute against his former club Southend United on Saturday – his first ever League One match – then played the first half of the Checkatrade Trophy game against Everton under 21s on Tuesday.

Woodrow told the Chronicle: “I will maybe be a little bit fresher than the other lads because I haven’t played as much. I can hopefully inject some freshness into the side and get some goals as well.”

Woodrow joined Fulham as a 16-year-old from Luton Town but, despite scoring on his first Premier League start at Craven Cottage, was never a long-term regular for the London club. He was loaned out to Southend, Burton Albion and Bristol City before joining Barnsley on a loan with a permanent deal agreed for January.

He said: “I had been at Fulham for seven years and it was all I knew. It was a big decision to leave but I am happy with it, it came at the right time and I have found the right club for me. I have been on the bench here a few times and it was somewhere I wanted to come. I needed to play games and be in the front of the club’s mind. I want to get this club back in the Championship which is where they want to be.”

Woodrow is looking forward to playing with eight-goal top-scorer Kieffer Moore who he briefly went up front alongside on Saturday. He said: “Kieffer has scored a lot of goals this season and previous seasons. He’s a big lad which will work for me because I can work off him.”

Woodrow will continue his mission to get competitive minutes under his belt against Notts County tomorrow in the FA Cup and Bradford City in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday.  He said: “These cup matches are a good opportunity to play some good games and get fitness for me and some other lads.

“It was a good feeling to play for the club, I have had to wait two months and be patient. I have had the same time off as you would have in pre-season so it will take time to get back to match sharpness but I am sure that will happen soon.

“I signed then, shortly after that, I felt my hamstring. It was bad luck because I had never had a muscle injury before and it was typical that it happened when I had just moved to a new club and wanted to hit the ground running.

“Previously when I have been on loan you train every day and you gel with the lads but I have been sitting inside with the physios. But the lads have still been really welcoming and they are young like me. I feel I am blending in well to the team now and learning want the manager wants.”