Darrell Clarke pleased to see Barnsley reap the rewards for an improved display

Posted Wednesday, August 28, 2024 by PA

Barnsley boss Darrell Clarke was pleased with the way his side recovered from a disappointing result on Saturday to beat South Yorkshire neighbours Sheffield United 1-0 in the Carabao Cup.

After Max Watters scored the second-half goal which settled this second round tie, Clarke said: “We scored a really good goal and it’s a good night for us. Defensively, as a team, we were a lot better tonight.

“I was very critical of my team on Saturday when we chucked two points away (against Northampton in League One) because we didn’t manage the game right. I think we learned our lesson from that and we did it well.

“Now for me it’s about getting connections on a consistent basis and getting some good work into them.

“Hopefully we get a decent draw and we’ll try and go as far as we can in the competition.”

United manager Chris Wilder felt a “lack of urgency” was at the root of the defeat for his side.

He said: “They made it difficult for us. I thought we were comfortable first half and in the second half we gave the impetus up by our poor decisions.

“There was a lack of urgency in our play. We have to find that quality if we want to get back in the game.

“We knew it was going to be a tough one and I’m disappointed that we’ve been knocked out by a local team.”

Explaining the absence of midfielder Anis Slimane, Wilder commented: “I believe there’s a deal with Norwich which is imminent, so he didn’t think he was in the right frame of mind to play.”