Barnsley captain Mads Andersen have said his side need to have better game management if they want to stay up this season.
The Tykes currently sit second bottom of the league and five points from safety. On Tuesday they looked like they were going to reduce this gap as they were 1-0 up against Stoke but a lapse of judgement at the back led their opponents to equalise in the 95th minute.
Speaking about the goal, Andersen told the Yorkshire Post: "They took a chance by throwing everybody forward and we went a bit deeper and five at the back to protect it.
"When we do that in situations, we have to clear the ball and be a bit better at not just clearing the ball, but getting a foul or something. Or by putting a ball out for a throw-in and pushing the team up."
Tuesday's result was a massive blow to Barnsley's hopes of staying up as they need to be holding on and winning these games to be securing crucial points.
The 24-year-old captain talked about the importance of game management for his side as he said: "We have talked about it. Even if we are up near the corner flag and leading, get a corner and or keep the ball in the corner. Try to get the ball up in their corner and stay there."
The Verdict:
After Tuesday's result against Stoke, it's hard to see how Barnsley's morale will not be low. A win would've been so important for them in their hopes of staying up and it does make you question whether or not they are strong enough to do this.
Their captain is under no illusions of where they're at though and he seems to be sending the right message to his team in the hope that they can organise better and be seeing games out.
If Barnsley can understand how to manage themselves in games and set-up in effective ways then they have the potential to be a frustrating team for opponents which could help them get points.
As the season starts drawing to a close, it's looking increasingly unlikely the Tykes will be able to save themselves but given their captain's comments it seems as though they will battle until the end.