Following another outstanding League One away-day at Cambridge United, Barnsley FC manager Neill Collins singles out one Reds player for special appreciation.

DELIGHTED : Mael de Gevigney, a defender for Barnsley, was singled out for praise by head coach Neill Collins after the Frenchman passed both of his tests upon rejoining the Reds team with flying colours.

After a difficult afternoon on his entire league debut against Oxford United in August, during which he was substituted in the first half, the summer signing was let go.De Gevigney, a former player for Nimes, was recalled to the starting lineup at the league level over the weekend. After impressing, albeit in a losing cause, in Saturday’s 1-0 League One home loss to Blackpool, the former Nimes player produced another strong performance, but this time in a win as Barnsley recorded an outstanding 4-0 victory at Cambridge United.

Collins’ team rose to fourth after the victory on a night when de Gevigney also score

After the victory on a night when de Gevigney also scored, Collins’ squad moved up to fourth place.”He did great on Saturday, but it’s tough coming here. I played here once, and I can tell you that it’s strange to be defending that goal in front of a large Cambridge crowd; it’s extremely stressful and unfamiliar for him, but he handled the job admirably.Although I believe there is much room for improvement in both areas of the game, there was an improvement over Saturday.

On a beautiful night in the Fens, away-day kings Barnsley won their fourth straight away game.

Before de Gevigney finished the job and scored his first goal in England in his professional career on minute 33, Nicky Cadden gave the visitors the perfect start.

Before the hour mark, Max Watters added a third, and Jon Russell added a fourth in the dying minutes to add some polish.

“I think there were a number of factors,” Collins continued, “especially the first-half performance, which was as strong as we may have been overall.

“We had to defend as well as generate a few really good opportunities and score a few goals.

“We are aware that Cambridge have some excellent physical qualities that might put us under pressure in set-pieces.

Overall, though, it was a strong team effort in which we shown both a commitment to defend our box and a high level of skill in possession. The players executed their plans with some quality.

“Both defensively and offensively, the performance was excellent.”

With the victory, Barnsley increased its impressive tally of away points this season to 13 from five games, which is the highest in the division.

It’s a different story at home. Out of six games, the Reds have won two while losing four. With six points, they have the 17th-best record in League One.

Collins continued, “We have given up three penalties to concede the first goal in the three out of four home losses.

“When you do something like that, you put yourself on the back foot; if we can get rid of that and add a few other things, our home form will improve.”