CONOR Hourihane believes his two experienced strikers can cope with the hectic run-in this season but admits there will be times when he looks at his bench and ‘there isn’t much there.’

The Reds are 15th in League One, five points clear of the bottom three and 12 off the play-off places, with up to three games in hand on some clubs.

This week, they lost 3-2 at high-flying Bolton – having been 3-0 down at half-time – on Saturday then their match at Stevenage was called off on Tuesday.

Barnsley have won two of their last 11 games in all competitions.

They are due to host 14th-placed AFC Wimbledon on Saturday and eighth-placed Peterborough United on Tuesday – two teams in good recent form and with two of the top five away records in the division.

The Reds have 19 games remaining before the season finishes in 77 days – more than any other team in English football. Their only senior strikers for that gruelling spell are David McGoldrick, 38, and 33-year-old Tom Bradshaw who returned to the club last week and started for the first time in six months on Saturday.

That has led to concerns about whether they will be able to cope with the hectic conclusion to the campaign.

Hourihane told the Chronicle: “They will be sharing minutes just like everybody else shares minutes.

“There’s going to be team sheets that go out there and probably people will be thinking about team selection. But we’re just trying to share minutes as best we can with certain individuals because it’s going to be heavy for a lot of players.”

The Reds are not expected to utilise the free agent market.

Hourihane told the Chronicle: “Nothing’s really popped up, to be honest with you, that we’ve really liked or really thought would benefit us.

“There’s not really been a striker that’s popped up that we feel will serve us in a good way, so from that point of view, nothing really on the horizon.

“Unless something pops up that we really think will be good, I don’t think that moment’s coming.”

Hourihane played both Bradshaw and McGoldrick in Saturday’s loss at Bolton with no striker on the bench.

Hourihane said: “I think we have to not get too frustrated by it from my position because it is what it is now the window’s closed. I know people will have their own opinions on it away from here and they have every right to do so.

“But the fact is that if we do play with two strikers, when I look behind me there isn’t much there and we just have to get on with it as it is what it is.

“There’s no point talking about it too much now because the window’s closed.

“I’m fully aware of the situation and we need to utilise that to the best of our ability moving forward, whether that’s playing with two strikers, one striker or however that looks and just get on with it, basically.”

Leo Farrell, 20, has come off the bench twice in league games but was not in Saturday’s squad.

“He’s definitely an option for the squad and for minutes. I just don’t think he’s probably up there right now to impact League One level. I think there was an option for him to go on loan in January but obviously that got stopped because of not getting the secondary senior striker that we were after.

“Leo is in the building and available to go on the bench and play if needed.

“He’s come on in a couple of games.

“But the impact that he would have at League One level probably isn’t in the impact of a David McGoldrick or a Tom Bradshaw, that’s all.”