, 10 clearances, 8 headers – This Barnsley man was key in the battling performance v Fulham

10 clearances, 8 headers – This Barnsley man was key in the battling performance v Fulham

Barnsley are definitely up against it this season. It is a season that sees them struggling near the foot of the Championship table and yesterday they faced a very good Fulham side in the early kick-off.

Those struggles might have eased a little bit on Saturday with a battling 1-1 draw against leaders Fulham at Oakwell. Barnsley proved they had the stomach for a battle in what was an entertaining game. This saw the Tykes close the gap between themselves and 21st-placed Reading.

The South Yorkshire side scored the only goal of the opening half, Carlton Morris (44′) converting from the spot. It was a half of football when they were starved of possession but created more chances than Marco Silva’s Fulham side.

However, Fulham moved through the gears in the second half and were rewarded through Harry Wilson (86′) who scored the goal that gave the Londoners a share of the points.

In amongst all of this, one Barnsley player stood out as key to a battling defensive display that helped earn a valuable point. That player was club captain Michal Helik.

The numbers tell their own story…

Michal Helik’s performance against Fulham in Saturday’s early game was enough to win him WhoScored‘s Man of the Match award.

The 6ft 3in centre-back put in a solid performance against a Fulham outfit fronted by 35-goal Aleksandar Mitrovic, helping to shut out such a threat is something worthy of mentioning.

Starved of possession, the Barnsley captain was only able to make 19 pass attempts, finding his intended target with just 10 of these passes. However, his strength lay in other parts of his game.

He won a game-leading eight headers (89% success) and also made a game-leading 10 clearances. These clearances, as well as one tackle, were vital in helping snuff out a very dangerous Fulham side.

Barnsley’s chances of Championship survival will rely on defensive doggedness over the games they have left this season. Helik showed the way on Saturday with such a performance.

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