Zeki Fryers hopes his first goal in a Barnsley shirt will be the first of many.
The left-back, 24, netted a thunderous strike in the 3-3 draw at Guiseley on Tuesday evening.
Even though he has yet to score a senior league goal, Fryers claims he can be a goal threat. On his goal, Fryers said: “I just thought ‘why not’. The goal had opened up a little bit and I had a clean strike.
“I normally get forward and get crosses in but if the ball is on the edge of the box and I have an opportunity to hit it, I’ll have a strike. “Defending is the first priority but if you can offer an attacking outlet as well then that’s important. Teams want you to do both now but defending is first and foremost and getting forward is a bonus for me and a goal is even better.”
Head coach Paul Heckingbottom agrees that Fryers has a lot of attacking ability.
He said: “He has got a great strike on him. We are going to really push Zeki and that is what he wants from us. “We are going to push him and see what he’s got.”
Fryers has so far had a nomadic career. After leaving boyhood club Manchester United he had a brief spell at Standard Liege in Belgium before moving to Spurs and Crystal Palace.
Moving to Barnsley offered him some stability and a chance to get his head down. Fryers believes his performances will improve at the same rate as his fitness.
He added: “I got more game time (at Guiseley) than I did in Hungary. I had 45 there and 60 at Guiseley so it’s building up. I am getting back to full match fitness and I enjoyed it.
“It is important that I get those minutes in because in the season that has just gone I was coming off the bench and playing here and there and it was hard to get the match fitness that I needed.
“You can play for the under 23s but to get to the level that I need to be I need to be playing regularly so these pre-season games are brilliant and we are all getting minutes under our belt and that is what they are for.
“My target is to show the manager that I am ready to play and that I can get my match fitness to a level which will be ready for the season.
"When I came in he told me what he wanted from me and what he wanted from the team and I liked the plan. All the other lads do too and we think highly of him. We will all graft together and hopefully have a good season. He told me what he wanted and what he didn’t want and that’s perfect for me.”
