Barnsley's players have let manager David Flitcroft down this season, says top-scorer Chris O’Grady.

The striker says he has been hurt after some games when he feels he has not repaid the faith shown in him by the manager who has given him regular Championship football for the first time in his career.

“I definitely feel like I have let Flicks down at times this season and I’m sure everyone else does,” said O’Grady after scoring the vital equaliser at home to Reading on Tuesday night, his fifth of the season.

“The manager has brought most of us here and we owe him a lot. It hurts to know what someone is putting that much faith in you but you haven’t been repaying that faith.”

O’Grady seemingly eluded to Flitcroft’s position when he said it was a ‘race against time’ for the players to push the side up to the table after picking up just five points from ten games.

He said: “It’s a race against time to get some wins and points. Last week was a very, very bad week because we lost three games and it was vital that we bounced back as soon as possible. Sometimes you can wonder where the next win is going to come from but if we keep playing like we did against Reading then we will be alright.

“There are so many games left in the season. When I came in in January there wasn’t that many games left and look what we did, so we have plenty of time to turn it around.”

Flitcroft believes O’Grady is capable of scoring more than ten goals before Christmas and turning himself into a £3million player but the striker is not willing to comment on that.

He said: “Results are more important than anything I do personally. “I’d rather be higher up the table and have scored less goals.”