CALLUM BRITTAIN POST-SWANSEA CITY Interviews Having played in front of the Oakwell faithful for the first time since arriving from MK Dons in the summer, Callum Brittain says the Reds supporters were brilliant. Continue reading on the official site...
3 feet higher with that shot and we'd have been 1-1 and who knows what the final score might have been. Fine margins...
Watched it on Look North today with the benefit of freeze frame and slow motion and it’s worse than I remember. There’s a defender taking Dike out of the game so they are both on the floor and the keeper is still down from making the save from Woodrow. Brittain must have just snatched at hit and did the hardest thing possible - ie hitting the keeper. He had half the goal to aim at, and maybe even more if he had just lifted his shot a bit. It was a shocking miss and I get the feeling he will never score for us. Mind you, I felt the same about Lloyd Isgrove and then he popped up with the clincher at Wembley…..
Worse missed chance was Dike’s over hit pass across outside the 18 yard box when there was him, two defenders closing him and three of ours totally free steaming in on goal. Bit softer pass and we were in.
He’s missed some bad ones this season. Last night, Chelsea at home, Luton away and I remember an absolute stinker of an attempt at Birmingham. All of them he’s tried to place with his side foot. Needs to just leather it next time.
He's one of those players that does the basics well. Put any sought of pressure to go beyond that and he's found wanting (x2 v Chelsea). It was a shame that chance fell to him. He did what he's good at and went for the safe option. As someone else pointed out that's why he's with us and not in the Premier League already. He has a decent performance every game and is one of our most consistent players but Styles or Williams would have buried that.
When you are that close to the goal with the keeper horizontal and no chance of getting up in time there is only one option. Blast it with all you have got. From that range it's going to go high but there is plenty of goal to hit so it doesn't matter how high - it is unlikely to go over the bar (I know it can happen though). The very worst option is to sidefoot it low. That keeper was doing well enough already without a gift like that.
Tbf it's easy enough to say this from our position. Every time I watch it the miss looks worse. But the reality is there's a split second to hit the ball. He isn't a striker and doesn't have a striker's instinct, the experience or muscle memory that a striker does. Just one of them things. He didn't mean to miss, and he knows better than anyone he should have put it away. Maybe he'll be destined to never score. Maybe he'll have his 'Isgrove' moment on the biggest stage. He's been a revelation for us in his position though, for me. If he keeps doing what he's doing, I'm sure a goal will come, but I'm not judging him on that.
His goal might not come. He's the best right back we've had since George Williams. In that he does what he's paid to do first and foremost. I won't slate him for that. However, if that's the moment that defines his Barnsley career it would be quite sad. I hope the team bail him out in the second leg.
Hm. Not sure anyone in the squad will see it as having to 'bail him out'. It shouldn't define his Barnsley career at all for me. He just missed a chance, in the first leg of a play-off semi. Morris hit the bar. Helik hit a free header straight at the keeper. It's not like he missed a deciding penalty in the Play-Off final. I've personally kind of already forgotten about it.
I think this lad has been a revelation for us this season, with his consistently high levels of performance. For me, he's been the best player in his position for us since John Stones.
I’m not knocking him as such. It’s just disappointing but I’m used to that by now. They can’t all go in. He had a great game apart from that mad moment
I think if we can pull it back on saturday if it does go to pens if hes thinkin it aint gonna happen for him he doesnt want to be takin one.