Barnsley boss Valerian Ismael blames loss on tiredness and welcomes international break

The play-off chasing Tykes were second best against their relegation-threatened South Yorkshire neighbours, according to Frenchman Ismael, who had overseen nine wins in 10 matches before the weekend’s 2-1 defeat.

Speaking after the final whistle, he said: “You could see that fatigue impacted the game today.

"We made two mistakes for the goals and it’s all about tiredness and concentration. That’s why it was such a difficult game.”

Barnsley have played six times this month – once more than the Owls.

A late Carlton Morris goal gave them hope after Jordan Rhodes’ double put the visitors 2-0 up, but Wednesday held on to move to within six points of safety.

A unbeaten run stretching back 10 matches before Saturday propelled Barnsley into the Sky Bet Championship play-off places.

Despite that hot streak coming to an end to give Darren Moore his first win as Owls manager, the Tykes still have a five-point gap to Bournemouth in seventh, having played one game more.

Ismael said: “We are fifth with a play-off ticket. If you want to get in the play-offs, we need 75 points and at least four wins from the last eight games.

“Sheffield Wednesday played like a team who wanted to survive and had a fresher mindset than us. The international break is a time to recover, to reset and come back with a fresh mindset for the last eight games.”

Ismael, who took charge of Barnsley in October, also felt his side should have been awarded two ‘clear’ penalties.