Barnsley turn form from worst to best in 22 days
Written by Editor on Saturday 3rd October 2009

Mark Robins came to Barnsley on the 11th September and watched his side go down to 1-0 defeat at Watford the next day. It meant that in the opening six games of the season Barnsley were rock bottom.

In the five games to follow Robins and his staff have managed to transform the fortunes of the Club and now they stand top of the form guide based on the last five games.

It has been 11 long months since Oakwell last enjoyed back to back wins and Saturday's last gap victory brought the fans to their feet.

What has made the difference? For starters the team have introduced a higher tempo training regime, increased fitness and a more positive mentality that has transformed the players performances.

Players like Anderson De Silva have been given a new lease of life, becoming more forward thinking and enjoying more freedom to express themselves. Robins has also looked at what was missing and brought in the right players to fill the gaps. Ryan Shotton has had a great beginning at Barnsley and capped it off with a Man of the Match award on Saturday. He must have been close to the award the previous game too.

Carl Dickinson has added bite into the defence and gives everything in his performances, and then some. The only worry is that the Stoke pair will do so well that Tony Pulis will want them back at the Potters!

Julian Gray and Nathan Doyle have also added to the strength of the side. With players coming in we can expect movement the other way as Mark Robins looks to balance the squad and keep the numbers manageable.

With Mark Robins at the helm Barnsley look to be going places. He won't want to get carried away, but the rest of us can!!! At long last we have a lot to shout about. Shame the International break means we have to wait a couple of weeks for the next game, but the squad will not be sitting back. Instead the coaching staff have prepared a mini preseason to keep them on their toes and even sharper for the next round of matches.

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