Ryan Hedges believes the confidence boost from making his Wales debut will help him regain a regular place in the Barnsley team which he has lost in recent months.

The 22-year-old winger was given a first cap last month in the 1-1 friendly draw with Panama in Cardiff then ended a 12-match wait for a Barnsley league start against Cardiff City last week. He had been left out of the 11 for more than two months following a good start to the season which saw him net three goals in the first four matches.After impressing as a substitute in the next game against Leeds, he was left on the bench at Reading on Tuesday.

Hedges told the Chronicle: "Making my debut for Wales was a big personal achievement for me and my family and one I had been dreaming of when I was coming through the ranks of the under 19s and under 21s. It was always something to aspire to. It was obviously a huge high for me and I want to take that into my club form and carry on playing well and getting goals. It's been an up and down season with the highs of starting the season so well then getting the Wales call-up to now not playing as much as I want. But you take every game as it comes and hopefully I can make a claim to have a starting place again."

Hedges, who joined from Swansea City in January, is part of a four-way battle for the two winger positions with Hammill, in-form teenager Harvey Barnes and Lloyd Isgrove who is currently injured. He said: "It's definitely a strong group of wingers here and every one of them has done a really good job when they have been called upon.

"It's probably one of the strongest positions we have at the club. You have just got to wait for your turn and, when the gaffer says you are starting, you have to take that chance."