[BFC SITE] "They’ll be a tough nut to crack, but I know we’re more than capable of doing...

Fixtures

• Northampton Town Vs. Barnsley - Tue, Feb 25 2025, 19:45

The Reds turn their attention to Tuesday night's Sky Bet League One fixture against Northampton Town as they aim to build on Saturday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Rotherham United.


Head Coach Darrell Clarke was pleased with the resilience shown by his side in the South Yorkshire derby but knows that the job is far from done as the Reds enter a crucial period of fixtures.

"It was a scruffy 1-0 win for me," Clarke admitted. "We had a fair bit of control in the game, but there weren’t many opportunities—more penalty decisions, really. But I was pleased to win that sort of game because we haven’t won enough of them this season. We dug it out, and now it’s a case of building on that."

Grinding out results has been a challenge at times for the Reds, and Clarke has emphasised the need for his squad to show greater competitiveness and resolve as they approach a busy schedule.

"You've got to be able to compete," he said. "Words I’ve used about my team this season—where we haven’t competed strongly enough, been a little flaky through spells in games, despite dominating possession at times. Saturday was a proper grinding 1-0 win. We defended our box really well, and the keeper didn’t really have a save to make. Pleased with that, but as I said after Saturday’s game, it’s a small stepping stone. We’ve got to back that up on Tuesday night."

The Reds boss also took time to praise individual performances, including that of the returning Adam Phillips, who confidently dispatched his penalty against Rotherham.

"Phillo isn’t a player who’s going to freeze. He took his penalty really well, and he’ll build on that. He’s missed a few days of training over the last couple of weeks, but he should be ready and firing tomorrow night. That goal will give him plenty of confidence."

With fixtures coming thick and fast, Clarke understands the importance of keeping focus and momentum, particularly as Barnsley look to improve their home form.

"Saturday was the first of five games in 15 days. We’ve got Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday now. The games are coming thick and fast, and we need to get as many wins as possible to get ourselves back in the race.

"The focus always has to be on the next game. We won a scruffy 1-0 derby game, really pleased about that, but the dressing room wasn’t bouncing afterwards. As soon as the whistle blew, our focus had to shift to Tuesday night. We’ve worked hard for a couple of days on the prep, and we’ll be ready."

Clarke is well aware of the threat posed by Northampton Town, who have won three of their last four games under manager Kevin Nolan.

"Games can work out in different ways, and you’ve got to find different ways to win. Northampton—Kevin’s gone in there and done a terrific job, three wins in the last four games. They’ll be a tough nut to crack, but I know we’re more than capable of doing that. We’ve got to compete, defend lots of balls in our box, and try to get as much control in the game as possible."

With nine away league wins so far this season, Clarke remains determined to add to that tally and push the Reds further up the table.

"I want to win football matches. We’re on nine [away] wins, and we want to get that number up before the end of the season. We’ve certainly got to improve our home record. Proud [of away record] isn’t really the word I’d use, if I’m honest. I’ve been frustrated for large spells this season, but we have another great opportunity to get into double figures on Tuesday night. Let’s hope we can do that."

The Reds will be hoping for a strong performance at Sixfields as they look to make it back-to-back wins and gather momentum for the testing run of fixtures ahead.

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