Barnsley head coach Darrell Clarke said his side have a “soft under-belly” after throwing away a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw against Northampton.
Goals from Max Watters and Adam Phillips put the hosts in control before Northampton equalised with goals from Liam McCarron and Jack Baldwin.
Clarke said: ”It’s two points dropped, isn’t it? We get ourselves two-nil up at the start of the second half, we create chances to get a third to kill the game off.
“We don’t do that and there’s a bit of a soft under-belly about us that I don’t like.
“Some of the decision-making at times made us lose two goals so it was a frustrating afternoon.
“There’s a bit of softness in the pack and we have to beat that out of them and make sure our game management to see games through is strong.
“Make no bones about it, it’s two points massively dropped today.
“There’s a lot of changes from last season and we have to learn quickly and make sure I’m not talking about the same mistakes, same errors and same softness week in, week out.
“We will re-group and we’ll review it. We certainly have to defend better as a team, when you’re two-nil up at home against Northampton.”
Northampton boss Jon Brady felt his side could have taken all three points.
He said: “I came in at half time and I was a bit disappointed to be one-nil down, to be honest, with the amount of chances we had and the way we’d gone into their penalty area.
“We’ve had some clear-cut chances but our finishing in the first half, with the ability of players we’ve got in and around the box, wasn’t where we need it to be.
“The goal to concede was poor – we just switched off there – and then to come out after half time and concede straight from the kick-off nearly was awful from us.
“Then to show the character again to come back away from home, two-nil down at Barnsley – we’re pleased to get the point but disappointed, probably, that we didn’t get all three.
“Some that played today have only been with us a week to two weeks and they’re getting to know each other. We’ve got to get them connected better but there are huge plus signs and the way we played today, we’re starting to play the way I want us to play.
“Going forward in the first half especially, we carved them open a fair few times.”
PSG get talks underway with Bournemouth for ZabarnyiFabrizio Romano reports that PSG are determined to sign Ilya Zabarnyi this summer. While talks are underway with Bournemouth, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement. The player remains keen to join Les Parisiens.Everton join Newcastle in race to sign GrealishEverton are interesting in acquiring the services of Manchester City outcast Jac...
WHAT HAPPENED?Napoli striker Osimhen has reportedly made up his mind on his future, and it seems like it won't include a sensational move to the Middle East. This comes from a scoop from journalist Buchi Laba, who reports that Osimhen has rejected a fifth offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal and would rather continue his career in Europe.THE BIGGER PICTURELaba claims that Osimhen is not interested in a ...
France captain Kylian Mbappe says he is satisfied with his side bouncing back from their Nations League loss to Spain in the third-placed play-off.Les Bleus finished the campaign with a win over Germany, thanks to goals from the Real Madrid star and Michael Olise.And while there was a lot to like about the French performance in Stuttgart, Mbappe took a balanced approach to things in his post-match...
WHAT HAPPENED?The German club have asked to be kept up to date on Sancho's situation, with the Man Utd outcast being touted as a possible replacement for Chelsea target Jamie Gittens, as per Sky Sports. Sancho has already re-joined the club from Manchester United once - a six-month loan spell at the end of last season - and could yet return for a third spell with the German giants. Chelsea paid a ...
Jobe Bellingham of Sunderland celebrates getting promoted back to the Premier LeagueEngland U21 midfielder Jobe Bellingham has agreed terms to leave Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a deal reported at around 331 million including add-ons.The Bedlington-born starlet joins the German club on a five-year contract following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League.Dortmund has reportedly agreed...
Brian Priske has chosen to return to Sparta PragueBrian Priske has returned to Sparta Prague to take up the position as head coach, say the Czech club on their website."We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new head coach. We welcome Brian, who knows the environment in the club. We strongly believe that he will build on the successful work he has delivered in the past and help Sparta w...
Borussia Dortmund keen on signing Jadon SanchoBorussia Dortmund are weighing up a fresh move for Jadon Sancho amid uncertainty over his future at Manchester United.The Bundesliga side have requested to be kept informed about the Englishman’s status at Old Trafford, with the out-of-favour winger seen as a potential replacement for Chelsea-linked Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Sports.Sancho i...
Gravenberch names his 2025 Ballon d'Or favouriteRyan Gravenberch shared his 2025 Ballon d'Or choice, backing his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah to win the prestigious award.The Egypt international was the frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or during the first half of the season, topping both the goals and assists charts in the Premier League.0"That's a tough one, but I'll go for my teammate: Moha...
Uriah RennieUriah Rennie, the first black man to referee in the Premier League, has died at the age of 65.WHAT HAPPENED?In August 1997, Rennie was named as the referee for a Premier League game between Derby County and AFC Wimbledon and made history as the division's first ever black referee. He went on to officiate over 300 top-flight games across 11 years, as well as refereeing domestic cup fina...
Lewandowski rules out Poland return under coach ProbierzBarcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has announced that he will no longer play for Poland as long as Michal Probierz remains head coach. The 36-year-old, who has earned 158 caps and scored 85 goals, was recently replaced as captain by Piotr Zielinski.0"Taking into account the circumstances and a loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to r...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 3 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 4 Chukwueze reveals cause of AC Milan’s ‘disastrous’ season
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 7 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 8 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent
- 9 Liverpool's dream transfer window with six signings including £100m striker
- 10 Transfer news: Jadon Sancho announces move as Liverpool confirm deal