"The magician" - Barnsley FC player praised after Preston North End interest | OneFootball

Adam Phillips has been the star man at Oakwell as he continues to pull the strings for the Tykes

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Darrell Clarke has got his Barnsley side purring of late, with the Tykes very much in the promotion picture at this point of the season after a number of eye-catching performances.

Since coming in over the summer, the former Cheltenham Town man has immediately found the perfect formula within his playing squad, which sees them in the play-off mix for a third consecutive season.

Having experienced heartbreak in the last two campaigns, the Yorkshire side will be looking to go one better in the current campaign, with a number of stars contributing to their fine form across the season so far.

There have been a number of standout performers at Oakwell this season, but we put it to Football League World’s Barnsley fan pundit Andy Symcox to name the club’s star man at this moment in time, and how best to sum him up.

Adam Phillips form spearheads Barnsley’s strong start to the League One season

It will come as no surprise that Symcox highlighted Adam Phillips as the man that is pulling all the strings for Barnsley this season, with the former Morecambe man continuing to thrive in his role as a prominent figure of the Tykes’ attacking unit.

With his ability to thread a pass to his forward teammates, or find the net from range with unnerving regularity, the 26-year-old has been been behind the majority of what his side have done well this season, with club captain Luca Connell also playing his part with his industrious displays in the middle of the park.

A brace against Crawley Town as well as further strikes to earn points against Bristol Rovers, Northampton Town and Stockport County have underlined his importance to Clarke and his teammates, and Symcox is adamant that the playmaker is the star man at Oakwell at this moment in time.

When asked who the best player at the club is at this moment in time, the Tykes fan said: “Barnsley Football Club have a number of good players at this moment, but I would say on his day, our best player right now is Adam Phillips.

“To sum him up in one word, I would say he is the magician, and I say that because he has a powerful shot, and can find a pass that other players don’t even see.

Barnsley must be fearing Preston North End repeat in January 2025 with Adam Phillips.

After such a strong start to the season seeing him build on 17 league goal contributions throughout the previous campaign, Phillips' reputation continues to burgeon, and with January around the corner, there must be a lingering fear among the Oakwell fanbase regarding their star’s future at the club.

The attacking midfielder has already been the subject of Championship interest in the summer, when Preston North End were said to be linked with a move, according to a report from the Lancashire Post.

Despite having 18 months left on his current contract, there is every likelihood that a second tier side could look to Phillips as the man to add creativity in the final third for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign, with the Lilywhites sure to still be interested a matter of months on from their initial approach, despite adding Stefán Teitur Þórðarson in July.

With his vision, energy and dynamism in the final third, Phillips has proven he could be more than capable of making the step up to the Championship if required, although the Tykes will be doing everything they can to keep him theirs to maintain their own promotion push this season.