BARNSLEY may be ahead of where Conor Hourihane thought they might be this season but the head coach’s simple message is: ‘I just want to keep winning.’
The Reds have collected 16 points from seven games this season – the most at that stage since 1996 – leaving them third in League One, having won 3-2 at home to Reading on Saturday.
They are now due to visit second-bottom Blackpool on Saturday before hosting Premier League Brighton and Hove Albion in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
Asked if the start was better than he expected, Hourihane told the Chronicle: “Potentially.
“But I am a winner and I want to win games of football.
“I set my benchmark high, it might be unrealistic for some.
“I just want to keep winning, that’s ingrained in me.
“I love winning and the lads are feeding off that at the minute.”
While Barnsley have impressed in their last two games, home wins over Huddersfield and Reading, they have conceded due to poor individual errors by Nathanael Ogbeta then Murphy Cooper.
Hourihane told the Chronicle: “I don’t think many teams are carving us open.
“Little lapses of concentration can happen. Defensively the work is getting better. We’ve done loads of work on it again this week.
“We want to be more solid but I think we’re getting that.
“It’s just: can we tighten up on little lapses of concentration to really make it the defensive display that we’re really striving for?”
After facing Blackpool and Brighton, the Reds are due to finish September at home to Port Vale in the league on Saturday the 27th then visit League Two Notts County in the EFL Trophy the following Tuesday.
In October, they are due to play on four consecutive Saturday as they are scheduled to visit Michael Duff’s Wycombe Wanderers, host Cardiff City – although that game could be called off due to international call-ups – travel to Bradford City and host Rotherham United. There is also a home game against Manchester United under 21s on Tuesday, October 21 in the EFL Trophy.
They play five times across the next fortnight.
Hourihane said: “We have a couple of cup games in between the league games before potentially the international window. Whether Cardiff will be on or not, time will tell.
“We have Blackpool, Port Vale and Wycombe.
“We need to be fully prepared as a squad.
“There will be minutes shared out. These five games will be a good test and everyone needs to be fully ready.”
Barnsley have won seven of nine games this season in all competitions, including their last three, while they also have some top individual performers.
Davis Keillor-Dunn is the third top-scorer in English football since the start of the 2023/24 season behind Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Hourihane said: “That speaks volumes of the amount of goals he gets.
“There was talk about transfers so to still have him is really pleasing.
“In the ten games I had last season, I was thinking: how can I get the best out of him? I want to play him in the nine role and he drops deep. With Didzy (David McGoldrick) coming in, I tried him in the left ten role.
“We had a chat and I swapped him back to number nine. It’s worked well.
“Credit to Davo, he’s gone back as a number nine and continued his goal-scoring streak.”
