[BFC SITE] Hourihane: The lads give everything back

Fixtures

• Barnsley Vs. Bolton Wanderers - Sat, Apr 12 2025, 15:00

Barnsley return to Oakwell this Saturday afternoon against promotion-chasing Bolton Wanderers, with Interim Head Coach Conor Hourihane calling on his side to "attack it in the right way" as they enter the final stretch of the season.


Despite a testing few weeks for the Reds, which included last weekend’s frustrating defeat at Birmingham after being reduced to ten men inside the opening minutes, Hourihane remains focused on the positives he's seen in his squad - both in terms of performances and progress behind the scenes.

The Reds will be without defender Maël de Gevigney, following the red card shown in the recent game at Birmingham City. Hourihane confirmed that the Club has opted not to appeal the decision.

“We’ve not gone for it, so that’s kind of standing where it is,” Hourihane explained. “It’s been unfortunate for Maël, and a tough one to take, but he’s a fighter. He’s been really consistent for us and he’ll bounce back.”

De Gevigney will now serve a two-match suspension, missing this weekend's clash and the following fixture.

There was a welcome update on the injury front, with Josh Earl and Barry Cotter both back in contention for selection. Josh Benson also returned to training with the group this week, boosting options for Hourihane and his staff.

“Yeah, look, they’re all on the grass,” Hourihane said. “Whether they’re involved or not, time will tell. But our squad’s looking a little bit chunkier than it has been, which is good. We’re in a decent place coming into these last five games. We’ve spoken about resetting and going strong into the run-in.”

Reflecting on the Birmingham defeat, Hourihane praised the spirit shown by his players despite the early setback.

“The game plan kind of went out the window after three minutes, which is tough,” he admitted. “But I was really proud of the lads. Particularly in the first half, I don’t think anyone watching would have noticed we were down to ten. Second half, we’ve debriefed it - a couple of soft goals, especially from a set play, which is always frustrating when you’re a man down.”

As Barnsley aim to turn performances into results, Hourihane emphasised that progress is being made, even if the points tally doesn’t fully reflect it.

“Yes, of course, I want to win games of football just like anyone else. But I think we need to look a little bit deeper than just results,” he said. “The work going on day-to-day - the standards, the structure, the way the team is starting to look with and without the ball - there’s a foundation building. The connection with the Academy is growing too. The young lads like Kieren Flavell and Fábio Jaló have really stepped up and played a part.”

With five games to go, the Reds’ interim boss spoke candidly about the demands of the role and the learning curve he’s experienced.

“I’ve learned a lot in the last month. You can put in all the hours, all the detail, but it still doesn’t guarantee you three points on a Saturday,” Hourihane admitted. “That’s been the toughest thing to accept. But I give everything, and the lads give everything back.”

Support from familiar faces has helped along the way, including a call from former manager Steve Cooper, someone Hourihane credits with keeping him grounded.

“Steve rang me on Sunday morning. I really appreciated that. It was just a message of support - stick with it, stay consistent, don’t come away from your beliefs. It meant a lot. This job isn’t easy, but I’ve loved it. We’re doing some good work, and whether it’s me or someone else in the future, we’re trying to leave the club in a better place.”

Looking ahead to the weekend’s challenge, Hourihane is under no illusions about the quality of the visitors who are pushing for the top six places.

“Bolton are a really good footballing side. I was at their game on Tuesday and thought they were excellent. The strength of their squad is clear - the players they brought off the bench would walk into most teams in the league. We’ll have to be really good out of possession.”

But despite the test ahead, there’s belief in the Barnsley camp.

“We’ll go to attack and try to win the game, of course,” said Hourihane. “Hopefully we see some of the work we’ve been doing start to come through. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

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Good talk but we've had good talks before. Proof of the pudding after a terrible season is at least to see son signs of improvement. Bolton match will be interesting to see the set-up, cohesion, decision-making and, importantly attitude of the players. Do they have belief? Are they working for the team?

 

Including the ball to the opposition!

 

Same for me. I’m sick to the back teeth of all the talk. It’s been an embarrassingly bad season and I’m yet to see that CH has brought any improvement at all. We’re still gifting goal after goal and until that stops we’re going nowhere. Hopefully he can find something for these last 5 games, Christ we need it.

 

Because our players are crap. I've no idea if Conor is a good coach but hes certainly not a magician.

 

Our hopes of the Play-offs have disappeared under him, so that's a trick.

 

Are you really putting that on him?

 

He makes you want to like him, and knows how to talk a great game etc.
But, I think we've seen and heard it all before.

 

Top 4 squad, have you forgotten?

 

This is a common error that everyone makes, you naturally assume it’s top four in the league table, when in fact it’s top 4 for the worst home performances

 

Or top 4 of the bottom half of table. Mind you, we’re not even guaranteed that

 

Just a smidgen.

 

So it's only this last month that's taught him that even if you work hard you aren't guaranteed to win. What was he doing for the last 6 months? Having a crafty *** in the toilets while the rest of the coaching staff were working hard?

 

Jesus wept.

Why anyone would want to come play any part of this **** club is beyond me.

 

Steve Cooper as DoF with Conor as coach?
Yeah I know, in yer dreams...

 

Bit weird though isn't it that he's only learnt in the last month that you can work hard and not win. Wasn't he working hard when he was eying up Clarke's job all season and we weren't winning every week?

 

You are being very, very critical. Just saying like.

 

Maybe. Just a bit fed up of someone being a huge part of the problem being handed the job based on sod all except sentiment and spouting corporate rubbish every time he opens his gob to cover for his absolute dire performance and yet people eat it up every time. Omg he's saying such amazing things. No he isnt

But you're right I'm probably (ok I am) being more critical than I should be

 

That's a bit harsh, he's made a fair few winnable points disappear.

 

You beat me to it