Gerhard Struber was delighted that his Barnsley side ended a four-month wait for a clean sheet and was pleased with the character shown by a tiring team.
The Reds drew 0-0 at Swansea City on Sunday and moved up a place to third-bottom, in the Championship relegation zone on goal difference while they are unbeaten in five.
Struber said: “We have a clean sheet and I am happy with that. We expected a difficult game here and, in the end, we are happy with the point. We were not at our best today and it is difficult for the young boys.
“We were OK but not more. We had the chance to play quicker with more forward runs but we didn’t and we need to learn from that for the next game.
“Every game we need to pick up points, sometimes we win and sometimes we draw – but we don’t lose. It is good to get another point away from home. I am happy with our teamwork and our spirit.
“For me, the big interest is our performance and development and I am happy with that. Step by step we are making the right progress and, in the next games, we will be always a little more clear in our situation on the ball and have more punch and power.
“It was not so easy today because we didn’t have as much energy in our batteries to sprint for every ball. But we have the right character and mentality and focus for 90 minutes. This is what we have changed and I am happy about that. We have a lot to do, to develop the team and come out of the relegation zone.”
More than 500 Barnsley fans made the trip to Wales to support the Reds. Struber said: “The support from our fans is amazing and it is so important to have so many of them come with us away. It is a long drive to Swansea, just after Christmas. It is a special support for me and my team and we are very thankful for it. Barnsley is like a family, we stay shoulder to shoulder and that is what we need.”
Goalkeeper Sami Radlinger made a mistake in the 1-1 draw with West Brom on Thursday but produced a series of impressive saves in Swansea. Struber said: “Sami is a goalkeeper with good experience and he knows what he can do. Mistakes happen in football. I spoke with him and told him it is normal that mistakes happen in our process. I trust him 100 per cent and this is very important.”
Radlinger added: “I really looked forward to a clean sheet and I am very happy that it happened today. I made three good saves, they were just reaction saves but I am very happy I had the right reaction. We are happy with a point away at Swansea.”
Radlinger praised the impact made by Struber. He said: “The whole team has developed under him and you can see in the last games that everyone is fighting for each other. He has made small differences in our system, how we want to play and how we want to press. We have really grown together under him which is very important for a team down in the table. I am very happy that we are unbeaten in five games and I hope we are unbeaten in many more games. We have a very good chance now.
“We never got negative with each other. We always stayed very positive. That is how we will stay up. 2020 will be a good year for us. We have shown we can win, that we can play very well and we have many more big games to win.” Captain Alex Mowatt has been battling illness but played 60 minutes before being substituted. Struber said: “Alex is a fighter. He was ill for two days and it would be dangerous for him to play the whole game. It was the right decision to take him off after 60 minutes so he can play in the next very important game. He is our leader and he’s good for our performance and he gives the team a good feeling.”
Barnsley now visit Derby County on Thursday evening. Struber said: “We have a good recovery and the next game is in Derby. It’s not an easy situation with so many games with this young squad. It is completely new to them. We have to change a little bit the first 11 in the next game. We need energy for my style.”
