Barnsley head coach Daniel Stendel saluted Cameron McGeehan after the midfielder’s FA Cup hat-trick against Aldershot Town.

The Reds are struggling near the foot of the League One table but put on an attacking clinic against the fifth-tier Shots, advancing into the second round with a 7-2 victory.

McGeehan stole the show with a hat-trick and Stendel felt the 31-year-old was deserving of his treble.

Daniel Stendel hails captain and team performance

He said: “I'm really pleased for him. I think he deserves it. He works a lot and he keeps his head up every time and tries to push the team.

“He pushes himself every day, in every training session. Also around the team, he tries to push everybody. I'm really happy for him that he scored three goals.

“We deserved, after this long time, a win, especially at home. And I'm happy that we scored seven goals. It's also good for the confidence.

“I know it's a National League team, but it doesn't matter. You have to play like we played today. And we really focused a long time in the game, and we scored some really good goals. I'm happy for the boys, for the result, and also for the supporters there in the stadium today.”

Barnsley conceded twice in the final 15 minutes - but Stendel made a point of focusing solely on the positive aspects of the afternoon.

He said: “I say to me (myself), after the game, I keep only the positive things.”

Patrick Kelly call explained

Stendel named a strong starting XI but there was no place for influential midfielder Patrick Kelly, who only featured as a substitute.

Barnsley’s boss has revealed the decision was made with Kelly’s fitness in mind, with the 22-year-old having struggled with an injury of late.

Stendel explained: “He had, in the last three weeks after the Stockport game, some problems, and he tried to train sometimes with painkillers.

“We gave him a bit of time at the start of the week to recover, especially because next week he's going to play the international games with Northern Ireland.

“Then we decided to start with Daniel Johnson for the first time today, and I think it was the right decision for him, and also a chance for DJ to get more game time, especially when we look forward to next week.”