NEILL Collins admits Barnsley must improve defensively to get through their current ‘dry patch’ but added: “I don’t think there’s loads wrong.”
The Reds have won two of their last ten games but are still fifth in League One, four points clear in the play-off places with two matches remaining.
Collins told the Chronicle: “It’s disappointing when you put it like that – nine points in ten games.
“But when you look at the previous 30 games, we were very consistent and at two points per game.
“We have hit a dry patch but, in that period, outside of Lincoln (a 5-1 loss) when we never gave ourselves a chance of winning, we should have had points in all the other games – based on the stats, the way we’ve played and the chances we’ve created.
“We have had a very difficult run of games. It can change quickly.”
The Reds have conceded the most goals in the division over the last ten games with 21, including 11 in the last four. Many of them have come from individual errors or poor collective defending from set pieces.
Collins said: “It needs to improve. It so happens we conceded two direct free-kicks in back to back games then conceded from two corners in the last two games.
“We have generally dealt with those situations well but right now we’ve not. We need to sort it out but I believe we will.
“We have got the group we’ve got.
“I believe they are more than capable of winning the games required to do what we want to do.”
Could watching hosts Portsmouth celebrate the title on Tuesday, after coming back to win 3-2, motivate the Reds to achieve promotion in the play-off final next month?
Collins said: “It didn’t feel like that at the time. We felt it would be us celebrating on 80 minutes.
“It should motivate everyone that this is what we want to feel like in a few weeks time.
“We want to be sitting in a position where we have the points on the table but we’re not.
“We will just prepare for Saturday.
“I don’t think there’s loads wrong.
“We’ve been on the end of single goal losses and we could have won any one of them.
“We have to make adjustments.”
