Barnsley forward Patrick Schmidt has outlined how the side are determined to prove that they have the quality to survive in the Championship.

Schmidt joined the Tykes in the summer under then-manager Daniel Stendel and has since seen his game time very low, with the side also struggling, following their promotion back to the second tier.

Schmidt had been used as a late substitute during the latter stages of Daniel Stendel’s tenure at the club, but with the arrival of Struber, the Austrian under-21 international was given his first start for the Tykes as they fell to a 3-2 defeat against Blackburn at Ewood Park on Saturday. 

Before this game, there were indications that he was springing into life in a Barnsley shirt having registered one goal and assist from his last two outings, with just 25 minutes combined on the pitch in those appearances.

Schmidt arrived at the club as part of an influx of young signings, who are yet to find their feet in a gruelling Championship campaign but is beginning to show elements of promise of late, to give fans hope that they could build momentum and claw back to safety.

Speaking to the club’s official site ahead of tonight’s clash against Middlesbrough, Schmidt had this to say on his team’s credentials: "I think we are getting better all the time and with the new Gaffer I think he will fix the mistakes. They are what we need to cut out. We undo all of our hard work with little errors. 

"It's about maintaining our focus for the full game, don't switch off. 

"We will get there, we're a good squad and will prove we are a good team."

The Verdict

The problems that Barnsley must overcome are there for everyone to see at the moment, with the lack of experience throughout the team and constant errors seeing them struggle to hold onto positive results.

There is certainly a lot of potential in this side and Schmidt in particular, his comments are spot on about acknowledging that their start to the season has been woeful, but also that there is the quality there to fight against relegation this season.

If Struber is to stage a survival bid with Barnsley, he must start tonight by getting something from fellow strugglers Middlesbrough at the Riverside.