Barnsley’s new hero

Thursday, 27/01/2011

by Paul Stevenson, Shoot's Barnsley blogger

There is, it seems, life after Adam Hammill for Barnsley - and a new hero is making memories of the gifted Scouser fade very quickly.

The two games since Hammill's departure for Wolves have yielded four points, with Saturday's draw at home to Swansea being followed up with an excellent 2-0 win against Doncaster at the Keepmoat.

New signing Danny Haynes bagged both goals in Tuesday's triumph over Donny, thus making himself very popular with the large number of travelling supporters who'd made the trip.

Haynes, who arrived from Bristol City last week, didn't look entirely fit on his debut at the weekend, but proved to be a constant menace in the South Yorkshire derby, putting away a header and then beating Neil Sullivan at his near post to register his first goals in a Barnsley shirt.

If the nippy Haynes is the new darling of the Oakwell faithful, then there are encouraging rumours than an 'old flame', in the form of Reading midfielder Brian Howard, could be returning to the club.

Howard distinguished himself by captaining us to promotion from League One in 2006, and his regular supply of goals from midfield helped stabilise us as we struggled to establish ourselves back in the Championship.

His most memorable contribution will be talked about for as long as Barnsley Football Club continues to exist – the dramatic, late winner at Anfield in the FA Cup that took us through to the quarter-finals in 2008. The manner of his departure to Sheffield United continues to rankle, but any waverers would be swayed by a glut of beautiful long-range strikes that would inevitably accompany his signing.

Boss Mark Robins has already confirmed that he'd love to have Howard back in the fold, but he's unsure whether or not Reading would let him go to another Championship club. He needs to ask the question, and do (within reason) whatever needs to be done to get the player back to the place where he enjoyed the most fruitful spell of his career.

Another interesting link is that of Dale Jennings, the precocious Tranmere teenager who's been lighting up League One with some mesmerising runs from midfield.

My instinct is that Premier League suitors will most likely turn his head, but it's encouraging to be associated with young players of obvious talent. If any new acquisitions have as much ability as Danny Haynes, they'll be doing pretty well.

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