Barnsley: How George Moncur overcame Reds mental demons

Midfielder George Moncur struggled mentally when he first moved to Barnsley in the summer.
George MoncurGeorge Moncur
George Moncur

The move up north brought a drastic change in lifestyle and surroundings for the 23-year-old.

The former Colchester United man made just two appearances for the Reds at the start of the season before being loaned out to Peterborough United - who were chasing his signature before the start of the season.

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Life at London Road started brightly as he bagged a brace in only his second game.

But he was soon confined to coming off the bench, and decided to come back and fight for a place at Oakwell last month.

“I think when I first came here, moving from the south where I lived was a bit of a shock to me and I wasn’t really right in my own head playing in the team,” admitted Moncur.

“I thought to gain some confidence and play games it would be best to go out on loan and then I started well there, then it went a bit down again.

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“I’ll openly admit that it wasn’t really the best time, but I knew I had to pull my finger out a bit and do something for this team.”

Head coach Paul Heckingbottom has stated Moncur’s attitude has been top drawer since returning to the squad.

The charismatic central midfielder started the season behind, then, captain Conor Hourihane and Josh Scowen - which was part of the reason he decided to jump ship and get some games under his belt.

Coming back to the club, Hourihane had left, but he looked to still be behind Scowen, Matty James and Alex Mowatt in the pecking order.

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However, with Mowatt serving a suspension and Scowen injured, Moncur took his chance with a standout performance at Aston Villa.

He added: “I hope I’ve showed my ability since getting back in the side.

“Thankfully I’ve got my chance here and I’ve done well. When you have competition, it pushes you.”