LUCA CONNELL feels that flipping the page after a lengthy and increasingly difficult league season at Barnsley and beginning a new play-off chapter is a ‘positive’ that the players should embrace.
The Reds are not in the best of form heading into the end-of-season lottery, having failed to win their final six regular-season matches.
Overall, they won only twice in their last 12 games.
Barnsley, who were top-two hopefuls in March, staggered into the play-offs and were confirmed in a nerve-racking draw against Northampton.
However, the psychology of this time of year dictates that, while one season ends, a ‘new’ one begins, and form has historically played little role.
The South Yorkshire side might yet have a new face in the dugout for Friday night’s semi-final first leg against Bolton at Oakwell.
After sacking Neill Collins nine days ago, the Reds named Austrian head coach Dominik Thalhammer as his permanent replacement.
Work visa concerns have reportedly slowed the transfer for the 53-year-old, a former coach at Bruges and Ostende, with the club considering other candidates.
Former Doncaster Rovers manager Richie Wellens, presently at Leyton Orient, is a potential candidate under discussion. MK Dons head coach Mike Williamson is also mentioned.
However, unless things change soon, interim head coach Martin Devaney, who led the team to a play-off-clinching draw against the Cobblers on Saturday, will be in charge on Friday.
Offering a player’s perspective, Connell believes that moving on from a difficult end to the league season and starting over in the play-offs can only be a good thing for the Reds, who defeated Bolton in the semi-finals in 2022-23.
Former Wanderers player Connell, among a number of Reds stars aiming to make amends after last season’s heart-breaking play-off final loss to Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley, claimed that the regular season concluding will be a plus for us.
“Everything from the previous several weeks or season is gone. The good and the terrible are forgotten, and all that remains is to advance to the play-off round.
“All the lads talk about it (Wembley last year), and the lads who haven’t been there ask, ‘Oh, what was it like?'”
“We’ve all talked about it, and we still have unfinished business at Wembley, so we want to go back and complete it right this time.
“We know what the occasion is like and have played in front of good crowds in the semi-finals and final before.”
Few players will be as mentally rejuvenated as Connell when the season comes to a close.
At the start of the season, the Liverpudlian was sidelined with a mysterious ailment that was later diagnosed as post-viral tiredness.
Throughout late summer and early autumn, Connell watched sports from his sofa at home, and the prospect of returning to play appeared distant.
Connell’s condition improved, and he was able to return after a time of recuperation.He has appeared 27 times so far in 2023-24, which is rather impressive given the circumstances, as he attempts to conclude a difficult year on the best possible note.
He added: “If people had told me at the beginning of the season that you would play so many games and stuff like that – because I didn’t know when my next game was going to be when I wasn’t feeling well – I would have taken it.
“I’m eagerly looking forward to the playoffs. That’s what we want: the season to continue for a few more weeks and maybe advance to the final.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply