Dale Jennings says his stunning brace at Chester on Tuesday is the start of him repaying Barnsley fans for red cards on the opening day of the last two seasons.
The winger, who turns 22 on Sunday, was expected to take League One by storm after ending last season strongly in the Championship but got sent off for violent conduct against Crawley in the first game, exactly what happened on his debut 12 months earlier.
"I was a bit devastated after the Crawley game," said Jennings, who has since struggled with injury and form.
"It's tough getting sent off in the first game of my first two seasons with Barnsley but I hope the fans will forgive me. I showed them what I can do at Chester and hopefully the goals and wins will keep coming."
The Crawley match was one of just five league starts this season for the former Bayern Munich man with the most recent, at Walsall on Saturday, being his first in three months. He has recently returned from an ankle injury while manager Danny Wilson has previously said he needs to work on his fitness.
Jennings said: "I am not fully fit. I could be more fit. "But I have had two 90 minutes in four days so that will help a lot. I have been doing a lot of fitness work in training and it's paying off in games now. I was cramping up towards the end of the game at Chester and I was a bit tired. My legs just about carried me there for the second goal."
Jennings' second was a fantastic individual effort and his first a fine finish, both after cutting inside from the left wing. He believes 4-4-2, which Wilson changed to on Tuesday after tinkering with other formations, is right for the Reds. He said: "I think we play better as a 4-4-2 and it's better for me to play in that formation. My best position is as a left winger in a 4-4-2. But it's whatever the manager picks and we go with it."
All of Jennings' six goals in 40 Barnsley games have come in victories, His three goals last season were superb strikes from outside the box but he says the second at Chester, following a jinking run, was his favourite. He said: "I prefer to play like that and score goals like that. But a goal is a goal and I will take a tap-in all day."
