Barnsley boss Michael Duff demands more from Barnsley despite 10-man victory

Posted Sunday, September 18, 2022 by PA

Michael Duff still feels his Barnsley side should be better despite a 3-0 win with 10 men at Cambridge.

The away side had Liam Kitching sent off while they were a goal ahead, having also lost their goalkeeper Brad Collins following a lengthy injury stoppage.

It did not stop Robbie Cundy and James Norwood scoring afterwards to seal the points for Duff’s side to add to Devante Cole’s first-half opener.

“It was a strange game,” Duff said. “We aren’t going to get carried away with ourselves because I don’t think we were brilliant.

“We end up scoring from a lucky pass, I don’t think he meant it. There was a frustration in the first half, there were opportunities for them, they’ve hit the post and then we’ve started the second half terribly.

“The best thing that has happened to us was Kitch getting sent off. From that moment onwards I think we controlled the game.”

On Collins’ injury, Duff added that “we got the lads together when he was getting brought off the pitch and said ‘we’ve got to see the game out and win it for him’. We can dedicate the three points to Brad and hopefully he is all right.

“We’re still in the position where we’re not in the habit of winning. We go 1-0 up and we hope the referee blows his full-time whistle. It doesn’t happen in football, you’ve got to go and get the win.

“When the red card happens they all realise they’ve got to step up.

“I think that’s the most pleasing thing. We’ve got to keep doing that.”

Mark Bonner felt his Cambridge side need to do better in key moments after their second Sky Bet League One defeat of the week.

“From the second goal onwards, which came quite quickly after the red card, the game was fairly comfortable for them,” he said. “We didn’t play with the thrust that we had been playing with, and almost got really disheartened that it happened.

“We just lacked a little bit of the grit and resilience that we’re known for really, so we’ve got to do better in those moments.

“But for the 50 minutes up until the injury I thought we were very good.

“It would have been interesting to see what would have happened in the second half without the injury, because we were flying at that point, really camped in their half, lots of intent.

“It’s really tough to pick up that momentum after a 12-minute stoppage. But then you’ve got to find your way back into it again.

“With the red card, at that point you don’t see the game turning out like it did. They scored the second goal very soon after.”