Barnsley: Stevie Mallan's ready to make his mark after move to Reds

Stevie Mallan is ready to show Barnsley what they have been missing this afternoon at Brentford.
A disappointed Paul Heckingbottom after defeat to Cardiff CityA disappointed Paul Heckingbottom after defeat to Cardiff City
A disappointed Paul Heckingbottom after defeat to Cardiff City

Mallan, 21, has struggled to make his mark since moving down south from the Scottish Championship in the summer.

But manager Paul Heckingbottom named him in his match-day squad last weekend – and he is in line to make his first Championship start for the club at Griffin Park.

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Mallan, who fired St Mirren to Scottish Championship safety before joining the Reds, admitted: “It’s taken a lot longer than I expected to force my way into contention.

“But when you get your chance you’ve just got to take it with both hands and show what you can do. Coming down from Scotland, it’s taken me time to adapt, but I feel like I’m ready to do well for the team now.

“I knew it was going to be tough going from the Scottish Championship to the Championship and I knew I had to work hard and bide my time.

“I’ve learned a lot since coming down here and I’ve just got to put it into practice now.”

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The Reds are trying to turn their fortunes around after five successive defeats, but head to Griffin Park with great memories after beating Brentford there last season.

And Mallan added: “It’s all about being together and being hard to beat as a team.

“All the boys are capable of doing that and I think the next for games are going to be vital for us.”

Meanwhile, Heckingbottom and the players visited patients at Barnsley Hospice earlier this week.

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And there was a touching moment when Heckingbottom met lifelong fan Hazel.

Hazel had been a season ticket holder at Oakwell before being admitted to the hospice – and she told Heckingbottom to “stop with” the Reds.