'We've come a long way' - Crawley Town defender says his side have deserved a win after recent performances

Barker was one of many standout performers in the victory over the Millers at the Broadfield Stadium. With the side down to the bare bones with a number of injuries in the squad the likes of Jeremy Kelly, Ronan Darcy and Will Swan all had to play in different positions.

The first half was one-way traffic with Swan getting the Reds ahead but the second half was a slightly different story with the gale force wind and rain against them. But they held on and still had the best chances against a poor Steve Evans’ side. See our Crawley Town player ratings here.

And Barker, whose dad Richie is a Rotherham legend and used to manage the Reds, said he felt this result had been coming after the performances in recent weeks. He said: “I thought we played some really good football in the first half. It was tough second half against the wind, it was tough to get out at times but we stood up to the challenge, defended our box really well.”

The win ensured Rob Elliot’s side jumped out of the relegation zone for the first time in a few weeks and Barker said: “I think the last few weeks have been good, three draws and we probably deserved a bit more from them. So now to put a win in there is great. The last four league games had some really good results, so it's really positive.”

It’s now three clean sheets out of the last four League One games for the Reds with Barker, Joy Mukena and Toby Mullarkey putting in consistent performances. “It just shows that we've come a long way because we were conceding a lot of goals and we looked at ourselves and said we need to sort that out,” said Barker. “I think the last four games we've done that really well.”

Barker, who signed from Wealdstone in the summer, has had to bide his time to get a run in the side but with injuries to Dion Conroy and Josh Flint, he has become a bit of regular and has impressed. And he was fuill of praise for the squad for sticking together throughout the injuries.

“It's just nice to get the chance and when the chance came, I just try and make the most of it and try and keep my face in the team,” he said. “And it shows with that many players out how we can still go out, put a performance on and I that just shows how well everyone knows their jobs, even if they're not in the team. They know what they have to do when they come into the team and everyone's fighting for a place now.”