Barnsley: Conor Chaplin vows to repay Reds' faith in him

Conor Chaplin admits it feels nice to be a wanted man and is determined to repay the faith Barnsley have shown in him.
Conor ChaplinConor Chaplin
Conor Chaplin

The midfielder finally arrived at Oakwell this summer after the Reds got their man following a year-long chase.

He was signed for a sizeable fee from Coventry in August 2018 after a move to Oakwell fell through.

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The Reds were not put off and he made the move in time for a Championship campaign.

“I was at Portsmouth for so long and I was not at Coventry for long at all and knew last season that the club (Barnsley) wanted me,” he said.

“I am really appreciative that they kept that (interest) up and that I was able to come here.

“I would like to repay the faith of the club and manager.”

If things had panned out differently Chaplin could have had a promotion medal. He kept a keen eye on the League One promotion race, though, as Barnsley and his former club Portsmouth went head-to-head for a top-two finish.

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“Obviously, when Barnsley got promoted, you always think, ‘What if?’. But you cannot really think about that too much in football. You have to think about the here and now and last season, it was Coventry and I am now here thankfully.

“It was a funny one (towards the end of the season). But I was obviously concentrating on Coventry and we just missed out and probably were just short.

“I am glad to be here. I am not too sure what happened (before) if I am completely honest. But I think it was close.

“Feeling wanted is very important for a footballer and probably how you get the best out of someone. That is how I feel.”