Hill: ‘Silly Dale errors are driving me crazy’

KEITH Hill admits the ‘silly mistakes’ his side are making defensively drive him crazy.

As good as Barnsley were at the Crown Oil Arena in their 4-0 midweek win, the Dale chief was upset that mistakes paved the way to the Tykes two first-half goals.

And it was the second home game in succession his team had been guilty of such costly errors.

“We bumped into the perfect storm for the opposition, no question,” said Hill.

“That’s not just Barnsley, it was Peterborough as well. The players have got to be better and make less mistakes – but if you try to force something you don’t get it.

“So it might be that we make more mistakes on Saturday and find ourselves 12 points cut adrift at the bottom of the league and then have to come with some sort of survival charge. I don’t know what the players’ mentality is at times.

“We looked so strong defensively yet we seem to be conceding opportunities through silly mistakes.

“It drives me crazy – silly mistakes in possession. It’s not a case of rip the plan up, definitely not. We were hammered by an excellent side tonight and that’s a reflection of how strong the Championship is.

“The players they have brought in have made Barnsley an unbelievably strong League One side. The question will be can they sustain it over 46 games?

“I think we’ve got to remember we’re only four games in, but it’s a hard one to take and it’s even harder for the players than it is for me.”