JONO Bland has played in every Barnsley game for which he has been available this season and is ‘really proud and happy’ with his performances in general.
The 20-year-old midfielder has been involved in 52 games in all competitions, starting 37, while the only fixtures he has not featured in were when he was suspended for two EFL Trophy matches, having been sent off at Notts County, and a league trip to Stockport after picking up five bookings.
Bland told the Chronicle: “It was my first proper season in the EFL. It’s been all the learning curves of how to go about your business day to day to be able to be ready and go for 90 minutes every week. I’ve played a lot of minutes and the break will be needed, but I’m really proud and happy with my first proper season.”
Bland, who usually plays in a holding midfield role, is yet to score for the club and has two assists this season.
“I speak so frequently about wanting to improve my numbers and I know the position I play in sometimes limits it. But I’ve had opportunities this year that I should have scored or I probably could have made a better decision and slipped someone through and got an assist.
“And I think that’s something that I want to keep pushing towards. There’s a lot of things to my game that I want to improve. But obviously that’s the thing that stands out the most. And the more you can impact scorelines, the more valuable you become.”
All Bland’s league appearances for the Reds have come under Conor Hourihane and the midfielder admits it was ‘difficult’ when the head coach revealed last week he was leaving at the end of the season.
“Conor gave me my debut and he’s given me so many games this season, which I’m so grateful for.
“But it is football and, even when you’re young, you have to be able to deal with the set-backs and changes that happen at football clubs.
“Me and Conor had a chat about what he wants me to do for the rest of the season and to just keep myself at a good standard and keep going until the end of the season.”
Barnsley look set for a mid-table finish with a game to spare. Bland said: “No one’s happy with us just finishing mid-table. It’s hurt people.
“I’ve had plenty of nights where I think about it.
“But you have to be able to affect it when it’s happening rather than look back and think ‘I should have done this, should have done that.’
“The only thing that we can do now is, as a squad, move on to next season and then just be better and try and push towards the play-offs or higher.”
Barnsley have felt aggrieved by a series of refereeing decisions recently. Bland said: “It’s rub of the green, isn’t it?
“One day we’ll be buzzing with the decisions given for us and the other team will be fuming. And it just feels like a little bit this season that we’ve been on the receiving end of being angry at some big decisions that don’t go our way. But there’s not much I can do about it now.”
