NEIL Farrugia is waiting patiently for his first league start under Conor Hourihane while the midweek cup tie with Brighton was the latest of several clashes against big names in his career.
Although the winger has started in cup games, he has only managed 83 minutes in the eight league matches so far this season off the bench.
Farrugia’s last start for Barnsley in the league was in the 3-0 loss to Blackpool in March after which Darrell Clarke was sacked and replaced by Conor Hourihane who has used his fellow Irishman sparingly.
He told the Chronicle: “I want to play as many minutes as possible like any other player.
“At the moment the team has been doing well in the league and winning games.
“That’s the way football goes.
“It’s hard to get minutes and none of the lads deserve to be dropped.
“But hopefully I will get minutes and it will come to the time when we’re playing a lot of games and I think squad rotation will be normal.
“I just have to keep knocking at the door, working hard and hopefully the minutes will come my way.”
Farrugia started in the 6-0 home EFL Cup loss to Premier League Brighton in midweek who fielded several big-money signings and England internationals like James Milner and Danny Welbeck.
Farrugia is no stranger to facing top level teams and players in cup games, having been involved in several European competitions with previous club Shamrock Rovers.
He played at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, whom he supported as a boy, last season having previously come up against an AC Milan team which contained goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“They are great games to be involved in. They are definitely hard because you’re against top players.
“You need to concentrate even more because the ball moves very fast and players think quicker. I am blessed to have had that experience.
“I remember playing Zlatan very well. He’s a lot bigger in person.”
Barnsley conceded in the 98th minute in a 1-0 loss at Blackpool on Saturday with Farrugia, who had come off the bench, losing out in a tussle with CJ Hamilton following a corner who then helped set up Jordan Brown’s winner.
Farrugia said: “It was definitely an avoidable goal, especially because it was a set piece, or straight after one, and we work tirelessly on set pieces and trying not to concede from them.
“It was a bad goal to concede and we all know that.”
