Barnsley 2 Swansea 4: Hill throws down the gauntlet after sorry anniversary for Reds

Out of the FA Cup and sliding down the Championship table, Hill has no intention of letting it become a drag.

However, apart from a Yorkshire derby win over Leeds United, the last month or so has been one to forget at Oakwell.

Four defeats in five league games and the loss through injury of captain Jacob Butterfield – the club has entered 2012 nursing a New Year hangover.

The majority of supporters snubbed this third round FA Cup defeat against Premier League Swansea City and the 6,000 locals who did bother to attend sat in silence for the majority of the game. “Is this a library?” asked Swansea supporters in the away end. It really was that quiet.

Hill’s determination to keep the fires burning is great news for Barnsley who, let us not forget, are still closer to the play-offs than the relegation zone.

It may be a tall order but he firmly believes that his players are good enough to win all 21 remaining league games.

“We are out of the FA Cup but there is no way I will allow this season to peeter out,” said Hill.

“I think we are capable of winning all of the 21 games if we play at nine out of 10 every week both collectively and individually. I have thrown a hand grenade to the players and asked them what are we trying to achieve this season?

“When you look at what’s happened here over the last five years – after 25 games, the club has got between 28 and 33 points and then there has been an end of season fade away. I can sort of understand why but we have to try and build for the future.

“To get 33 points is on a par with the previous five seasons, if not the equal best, and we have got nowhere near the same finances.

“We are doing really well and I don’t want an end-of-season burnout. That’s why I am looking to bring in new players.”

Midfielder Danny Drinkwater returned to the Barnsley side on Saturday after re-signing on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season.

Striker Chris Dagnall, who has arrived on a two-and-a-half-year deal from Scunthorpe United, was cup-tied but should make his debut in the weekend’s trip to Leicester City.

Hill wants another three players before the end of the month and will try to free money for wages by off-loading Danny Haynes and Nathan Doyle.

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers rested only one player – goalkeeper Michael Vorm – for Saturday’s game which made Barnsley’s task even harder.

The Swans have won many plaudits in the top flight for playing patient, passing football and, not surprisingly, Barnsley spent long periods of the game without the ball.

Goalkeeper Luke Steele pulled off two early saves to deny Keny Agustien and Wayne Routledge before Ricardo Vaz Te had the temerity to put Barnsley ahead.

There had been nothing whatsoever to suggest that a goal was imminent but the lead lasted less than a minute.

Vaz Te had cracked home a 20-yard drive and the goal at least sparked a bit of noise inside the ground.

But sloppy defending allowed Angel Rangel to equalise almost immediately. The goal silenced no-one. They were already quiet at that stage.

Barnsley’s goal served as a wake-up call to the visitors, who finished the first half the stronger and opened the second with a stunning goal. Striker Danny Graham’s brilliant 30-yard drive sailed beyond Steele and smashed into the top corner of the net.

Nathan Dyer, who had just missed a decent opportunity, doubled the lead after 54 minutes.

His goal owed just as much to the creativity of Routledge, who advanced into the area before putting the ball into the path of his team-mate to stroke home.

Hill made three substitutions in the space of five minutes in an attempt to stem the tide and Barnsley grabbed a lifeline when Vaz Te scored following a free-kick from Drinkwater.

Defender Jay McEveley was lucky to escape a red card when pulling back Dyer and, for 20 minutes, the game was on a knife edge.

But a mistake by Vaz Te opened the door for Graham to score two minutes from the end and Swansea’s passage to the fourth round was safe.

“Our performance was average, okay, but ‘okay football’ gets you the sack,” mused Hill. “We were playing against superb, educated opposition and we had to make sure we locked the doors.

Neither the result nor the attendance was a fitting way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Barnsley lifting the FA Cup.

Barnsley issued a statement yesterday denying reports that assistant manager David Flitcroft was the subject of an approach from managerless Rochdale.

General manager Don Rowing said: “David Flitcroft is an important part of our team here and he will be remaining here.”

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Barnsley: Steele; Hassell (Wiseman 57), Foster, McNulty, McEveley; Drinkwater, Addison, Perkins (Gray 57); Vaz Te, Davies, Done (Noble-Lazarus 52). Unused substitutes: Preece, Edwards, A Taylor, Digby.

Swansea City: Tremmel; Rangel, Monk, Williams, N.Taylor; Dyer (Sinclair 79), Agustien (Allen 65), Britton, Routledge; Orlandi (Sigurdsson 59); Graham. Unused substitutes: Moreira, Lita, Moore, Bessone.

Referee: SA Attwell (Warwickshire).