Barnsley: Patrick Cryne sets sights on league survival

Barnsley have had a tough opening few weeks since their return to the second tier of English football, with games against Championship stalwarts Ipswich, Derby, QPR and Huddersfield.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side have impressed, picking up six points from a possible 12, and Cryne is delighted with the way the players have stood up against some of the harder hitters in the league, despite working with a much smaller budget.

And the top dog at the club would be happy with anything other than relegation after the Reds’ two-year absence from the Championship.

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“I think anything beyond survival would be a positive result because of the competitive nature of the division,” admitted Cryne, who took over the club in 2004.

“The finances that exist in the Championship mean that a lot of Premier League exile clubs have big parachute payments and other clubs have much bigger finances than ours.

“I think we’ll do better than everyone expects and from my perspective, if we can get Oakwell clear of the bottom three then that would be a satisfactory outcome for this season.

“We want to have these tough games early because you get a proper perspective of how strong your squad is before the window closes.”

Heckingbottom has already added nine summer signings, but he is on the lookout for a couple more bodies before the transfer window closes next week.

The club have seen a ‘derisory’ offer, believed to be in the region of £150,000, firmly rejected by Chesterfield for midfielder Gboly Ariyibi.

It has also been reported that the club have been knocked back in their bid to sign another midfielder - Sam Morsy from Wigan.

The Latics have rejected two separate offers for the player, one from Sheffield United and the other reportedly from the Reds.