Barnsley Defender Josh Earl has insisted that his side are by no means out of their play-off tie with Bolton Wanderers just yet, despite needing to overturn a two-goal deficit in the second leg.
It’s Bolton’s to lose at this point and they go into the second leg full of confidence after a strong 3-1 win away from home. The respective sides’ recent form going into the first leg all pointed to a win for Ian Evatt’s side whose situation looks even more favourable with the second leg being played at home.
Having sacked manager Neill Collins just a week before the play-offs, there were some significant questions for the Tykes to answer. The decision was potentially made to try and galvanise the players prior to the post-season after they only just crept over the line to secure a spot in the top six.
If the first leg is anything to go by, then that seems as if that was a decision which has backfired, but Barnsley aren’t out of the tie just yet.
Stranger things have happened in the play-offs before. As recently as last season there was a huge sway in momentum over the two legs after Sheffield Wednesday overturned a four-goal deficit to Peterborough United to send themselves to Wembley.
Some confidence can therefore be taken from that and defender Josh Earl still has belief. Earl, who has started all 19 matches since joining from Fleetwood Town in January, emphasised to the Barnsley Chronicle that the pressure was very much off of the players.
“They beat us by two goals. Who is to say we can’t beat them by two goals on Tuesday? We just have to rest and recover, train on Sunday, put work in and figure out how we’re going to do it.
“The pressure is off us in a sense. We can thrive off that. As soon as you get one back, you never know what can happen.
“We know we can score two goals, no problems.”
They certainly face an uphill task trying to overturn the deficit but there will still be belief in the Tykes camp until the final whistle blows when the two sides meet on Tuesday night.
Writer’s View
After Sam Cosgrove pulled one back for Barnsley on Friday night, the tie really came alive and there was finally some hope for the fans. A late Randell Williams goal dampened the mood but the Tykes aren’t out of it just yet.
It’s a strong message from Earl and as emphasised by the defender, there isn’t much pressure on the players. That could help them excel and they may well give Bolton a good go in the second leg.
They’ll be hard to break down but there is still a glimmer of hope for both the players and the fanbase.
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