Is Barnsley’s David Flitcroft is one of this season’s unsung heroes?

‘I’m finding it difficult to find a girlfriend in Barnsley, or indeed settle into a way of life.

‘The local girls are far uglier than the ones back in Belgrade or Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, where I come from.

‘Our women are much prettier.  Besides, they don’t drink as much beer as the Barnsley girls, which is something I don’t like at all.

‘England is a strange country and I found it hard to adapt to living here.  The main thing is that I am not on my own.  To be honest I expected more of Barnsley as a town and a club’.

Hristov’s curious outburst provided wonderful copy, and inspired a mass of follow up coverage which offered locals the opportunity to defend the honour of their town.  Nevertheless, it was typical that the club’s ascendancy should be so overshadowed.

Under the guidance of their array of managers Barnsley dropped to the third-tier, where they spent four years, before returning to the Championship in 2006.  There was another memorable cup F.A. run in 2008 – that path to the semi-finals included taking the notable scalps of Liverpool and Chelsea.

Notwithstanding those sporadic stirring days, nothing in Barnsley’s recent history can match these past four months under the inspirational Flitcroft.  When he speaks, the 39 year-old exudes an unmistakable confidence.  Futhermore, the rookie boss transmits an intangible motivational quality which explains in large part the remarkable feats he has drawn from his previously unproductive players.

The bare statistics of Flitcroft’s 21 league matches in charge – nine victories and 34 points gained – are mightily impressive, but still don’t serve justice to the remarkable nature of his fiercely committed, free-flowing team’s charge to safety.

The aforementioned effect of a new man at the helm reached well beyond a positive start.  Millwall, Blackpool, Middlesbrough, and Wolves were all seen off before February was out.  When the pressure was at its most intense, and other contenders to beat the drop refused to throw in the towel, Flitcroft never panicked – indeed his outward demeanour was comparative to that of Wigan Athletic’s unflappable boss, Roberto Martinez.

During a thrilling climax to the campaign, Barnsley were victorious against Brighton, Watford, Leicester, and Hull.  They avoided defeat at; Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Cardiff City, and then, when that dreamy spell still hadn’t proved sufficient to ensure survival, rose to the challenge once more when earning their final day reprieve with a riveting 2-2- draw at fellow White Rose outfit, Huddersfield Town.

Flitcroft’s air of calm prevailed even after a one-off home calamity against Charlton Athletic, when his team were reduced to nine men and beaten 6-0.  The manager responded to that potentially fatal afternoon by saying;

‘Today will end and tomorrow will begin – I’m looking forward to tomorrow and galvanising a group of players that are hurting.

‘We will have two players missing (through suspension), it’s about re-grouping a gang of players who do want to play in this league.

‘That will have emotionally scarred some players, but it hasn’t scarred me.  We can move on from this’.

Those words proved to be far from empty rhetoric and, in hindsight, could read as affirmation of Flitcroft’s new standing as one of this country’s fastest developing managers. Charlton remain the last team to inflict defeat on the Tykes.

From a club staring League One in the face at the turn of the year, Barnsley’s ambitions have taken a stark upwards shift.

Since survival Saturday, Chairman Dean Hoyle has vowed that ‘mistakes’ made behind the scenes this year will not be repeated.  Managing Director, Don Rowley, has expressed his desire to quickly tie Flitcroft to a fresh deal – his current agreement expires this week.

For the manager’s part he says;

‘We are so behind the eight-ball in our preparations and planning as we have been really focusing on the job in hand.  There is a lot of work to do and negotiations to make sure we have the right structure.  I don’t want to be scratching (around) like this team has done for the last five or six years.

‘I want a bright future for Barnsley Football Club’.

If they can keep David Flitcroft, that wish will become a very real possibility.  As younger brother to ex-Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers player, Gary, David was, until recently, not even the most well-known individual from his own family.  His is a name, however, which might just be set to earn considerable fame thanks to a phenomenal aptitude for his unforgiving chosen trade.

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