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Conor Hourihane is about to embark on his first full season as the manager of Barnsley, after being appointed at the end of last season.
The former Ireland international is keen to build on the end to last season after his appointment and demonstrate he has what it takes to take the next step in his career.
Huddersfield Town are favourites to earn promotion from League One this season, while Don Goodman believes Blackpool are dark horses for the title.
The addition of Luton Town, Plymouth Argyle, and Cardiff City to the division and the conversation for promotion has allowed Barnsley to slip under the radar a bit.
Hourihane and his team have been able to get on with their business to little fanfare, and for one piece they did, the manager believed it was a deal ‘too good to come away from’.
Hourihane pleased with the loan signing of Patrick Kelly
Barnsley have recently brought Patrick Kelly in from West Ham for the upcoming season on a free transfer.
Kelly impressed at Doncaster Rovers last season, featuring in 30 matches across their League Two title-winning campaign and Hourihane has spoken about his latest signing with the Yorkshire Post.
While West Ham had planned for the Northern Ireland underage international to continue his development at the club, the offer from Barnsley proved too good for Kelly to turn down.
Hourihane has already been impressed by Kelly in training, as he said: “I am really excited by Patrick. He came up over the last week and did really well at Doncaster, and everyone I spoke to about him spoke really, really highly of him.
“With the bits I have watched of him as well, he’s a player – who for such a young age – plays with maturity and room to grow and develop, and I think he’s a really good asset and footballer for the club.
“I think the deal was too good to come away from, so I was really keen to get Patrick over the line.”
Patrick Kelly on his move to Barnsley
Patrick Kelly has already spoken to the Barnsley social media team about his move to Oakwell to join them for free.
He said upon joining: “It’s a really good feeling. I’m really happy to get it over the line, and I just can’t wait to get going.”
“I was coming into my last year [contracted to] West Ham. There was the option to go out on loan to a few clubs; there was quite a bit of interest from League One and Scotland.
“But, having a good chat with my agent, we felt going permanent may be the best step for me. Thankfully, West Ham co-operated.
“I felt that, as soon as I spoke to the manager, it was a pretty straightforward decision,” Kelly adds. “He just kind of spoke to me about where he sees me playing and helping the team, and the team’s goals.”