Collins was handed ample food for thought in Tuesday's 3-2 home loss to Portsmouth - on a night when the Reds produced a very poor first-half display, but showed character to claw back two goals on the restart.

Replacements Owen Dodgson and Corey O'Keefe did their cause no harm on the flanks, with Callum Styles and Sam Cosgrove also impressing after coming on at the break.

Collins said: "Owen came in and did really well. Barry (Cotter) had a great second half and then Corey came on and was excellent.

Barnsley boss Neill Collins. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.

"I think it (wing-back) is a position where we are really strong. We need to have that competition as we ask a lot of them.

"It gives us some good and tough decisions for the weekend.

"All the players need to recognise that however well you have played before, every day you turn up, you are getting judged."

Despite seeing his side concede three early goals in a calamitous opening, Collins explained why he he was not tempted to make changes before half time.

He added: "I think at 3-0 down, making those changes maybe would not have had the impact it did at half-time. It gave us a chance to address a couple of things on how to change and what we wanted those players to do.

"The changes were to put on players who had not been affected mentally by the game.

"Whether you like it or not, these guys are human beings and they get 2-0 down and don't commit (struggle). At half-time, we put three new guys on who were full of wanting to be in the team.

"It gave us a chance to regroup and go again. We need to make sure it does not take half-time to regroup."

Barnsley FC boss Neill Collins on some 'good' and tough' wing-back dilemmas ahead of Northampton Town trip and why he did not make first-half substitutions versus Portsmouth