Barnsley FC: Jon Russell reacts in three words after Rotherham United win | OneFootball

The Tykes midfielder scored the first of Barnsley's two goals in their 2-0 win over the Millers at Oakwell on Friday night.

Midfielder Jon Russell scored the first of Barnsley's two goals in a 2-0 win over Rotherham United at Oakwell on Friday night, and the Jamaican international took to his Instagram for a short, but sweet reaction to the Tykes' big win.

Russell gave Barnsley the lead on 32 minutes, as his initial header from a corner was saved by Rotherham goalkeeper Cameron Dawson, but he could only parry the ball back into the path of the 24-year-old, who lashed home a half-volley from six yards out for his second goal in as many League One games.

Russell did have the ball in the net once again just before half-time, but it was correctly ruled out as he just mistimed his run into the box from a free-kick before heading the ball home.

Darrell Clarke's side made sure of the three points in the 86th minute, as a goal-kick from Killip wasn't dealt with by a pair of Rotherham defenders, allowingStephen Humphrys latched onto the bouncing ball before firing home a brilliant half-volley into the far corner of the net from the edge of the box.

Friday night's South Yorkshire derby win pushed the Tykes into the play-off places, and it was an evening at Oakwell that Russell clearly enjoyed.

Russell has been flourishing operating in a more advanced role in recent times, having grabbed two goals and one assist in his previous four League One appearances.

The Jamaican would have added to that tally had he held his run for a brief moment more just before the interval, but he's evidently developing into a real key player for Barnsley this season.

Posting to his Instagram after the full-time whistle, Russell summed up the evening in three words, simply saying: "What a night."

His Barnsley boss was quick to praise Russell's performance too, and also believes that he's getting the best out of him by playing him higher up the pitch.

Speaking after the full-time whistle with the Barnsley Chronicle, Clarke said: "Jon (Russell) is doing tremendous. I think he’s better playing high up the pitch as an eight. He can drop into the six at times. He’s getting goals and he gives us good control. He deserves the plaudits."

Barnsley showing signs of tightening up at the back

Despite making a strong start to the season, picking up seven wins and just three defeats from their opening 14 games, one of the slight criticisms of the Tykes' campaign so far has been the amount of goals conceded.

Scoring goals hasn't been an issue, as Clarke's side have found the back of the net on 23 occasions so far this term, but at the other end, they've had to retrieve the ball from their own net 18 times.

As such, through the opening 14 games of the season, they have been conceding an average of 1.3 goals every game (per FotMob), which is a number they would like to bring down over the coming weeks and months.

Keeping clean sheets has understandably been an issue as a result, with just three kept so far this term. But, Friday's 2-0 victory over Rotherham and a 2-0 away win at Shrewsbury in their previous league outing means that two of those have come in back-to-back games.

That's a positive sign that Clarke and his players are making progress when it comes to addressing this issue, as should they continue to tighten up at the back, paired with the amount of goals they're scoring, could see Barnsley become a real force in the third tier this season.

With games against early season strugglers Cambridge and Wigan up next for the Tykes, they will be looking at those two fixtures as prime opportunities to continue their upward curve in defense.