'Kaiser Conor' raising the Barr with Derry City

​The 20 year-old has displayed a maturity beyond his years and plenty of resilience since making his challenging Derry debut as a substitute against Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght back in March.

Adam Brennan was running riot for Rovers on the left wing and Barr was thrown in at the deep end on 68 minutes to try to contain him, replacing Barry Cotter.

Thirteen minutes later Brennan raced past Barr inside the box and the Derry defender brought him crashing down for a penalty.

It was a disaster for the youngster as Rovers went on to win 1-0 as Dylan Watts converted from the spot.

Barr could've easily retreated into his shell and he had to wait another fortnight before getting a second shot as a substitute in the scoreless draw against St Pat's in Dublin. Since then, Derry has kept clean sheets in five of the 11 games he's been involved in. Recently, he has risen to prominence and earned adulation from fans and pundits with a string of impressive performances. After Derry's final fixture before the midseason break in Dundalk on Friday night, Barr will meet up with Tommy Wright's N. Ireland squad for a friendly against Portugal in Estoril next Thursday in preparation for Euro qualifiers this Autumn to conclude an eventful month for the defender.

"I've been loving it at the minute," he beamed. "It's just getting gametime and 90 minutes. I feel like I'm playing with confidence and showing what I can do. "It's just about staying grounded and taking it game by game but I'm loving it. Those clean sheets help you. Playing with the ball is part of my game, finding passes and I think playing right back helps me do that from centre half so I'm definitely feeling confident."

He's taken it all in his stride and earned rewards for the character shown in bouncing back from that disappointing debut for his hometown club. "At the time it was tough whenever that happened. I was patient waiting for that time to come but the players around me were brilliant to me and the staff putting their arm around me.

"I knew myself I could do it and it was just about getting the chance. When I got it again, I've taken it. It was a tough time but that builds character and you just take it in your stride."

Barr has enjoyed a laugh with his Derry teammates this week after picking up several new nicknames in training, a homage to defensive giants Franco Baresi and Franz Beckenbauer due to a string of stellar performances.

He was jokingly dubbed 'Conor BeckenBarr' in the Celtic Park media room by one quick-witted journalist on Monday night after his second successive 'man of the match' award, presented by Derry legend Liam Coyle who was on co-commentator duties for BBC Radio Foyle.

Of course Barr laughed off those tongue-in-cheek comparisons to two legends of the game this week and it might just be a tad early to be talked about in the same breath as some of the greats.

However, his significant contribution to back-to-back clean sheets over the Bank Holiday weekend is undeniable as he grows in confidence and stature. Deployed at centre-half in the absence of firstly Patrick McClean and subsequently Jamie Stott, Barr looked comfortable and composed against St Pat's and Shelbourne respectively.

"I'm really enjoying it and enjoying playing wherever. That's a big part of football nowadays is being versatile so I'm happy to play anywhere.

"The crowd have been brilliant and it's class to see. Being from here I can relate to them and you just feel their frustrations and you understand it. They've been brilliant to me and I'm really thankful for that."

Barr is one of three League of Ireland players named in the N. Ireland U21 squad alongside Waterford's Sam Glenfield and Dundalk striker Eoin Kenny who he comes up against on Friday night at Oriel Park.

He shares a room with Kenny during international duty, so that could be an interesting match-up.

"We were talking about the game the other day, he's a good mate of mine and hopefully I can keep him quiet on Friday," he smiled.

"Dundalk, it's a tough place to go. The last time we were down there we were disappointed with the goals we conceded.

"Those clean sheets we got recently, we can take that into the game.

"We've also scored four times against them this season so we just need that bit to click and hopefully we can score goals down there and keep that clean sheet."

The young right-back reckons the midseason break comes at a good time for Derry who have struggled for form and consistency during the first half of the campaign.

There'll be no rest or reset for Barr, however, as he links up with his international teammates.

"It's still really tight and we need that win in Dundalk for our form to go into the break. People might need a reset and then hopefully you can go guns blazing afterwards and pick up some form. "I'm off to Portugal on Saturday and it's straight back into training for me but those are the kinds of experiences you want and I'm really looking forward to that as well and the experience that comes with it."

Barr will certainly be tested against a talented Portugal side which includes Wolves prospect Mateus Mané, Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti and Man United target, West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes.

"You play against some quality opposition. It's class to test yourself against players who might be playing in the Premier League or wherever.

"It shows you where you're at and what you need to do to improve and stuff. I can't speak highly enough of the set-up when you go away.

"Everything is done for you and it's so professionally done. I love going away and I hope that continues and I can do well."