Now the Barnsley striker wants to shoot his club to Championship safety to make up for the disappointment.

Macken scored from the spot against his former club, Preston North End, on Saturday to secure the victory that lifted the Tykes four points clear of the danger zone.

Far from suffering any FA Cup hangover after the defeat in the semi-final to Cardiff City, the win proves that Barnsley are truly back in business.

Back-to-back victories over Watford and Preston have secured as many points in just two games as they had picked up in the previous nine appearances.

Another victory tomorrow against Hull City might even be enough to guarantee the club's Championship status.

Had Macken not been recalled from a loan spell at Oakwell to play for Derby against Sheffield Wednesday in January, the former Republic of Ireland international could have been involved in Barnsley's FA Cup adventure.

As it was, his brief appearance as a third-round substitute proved costly when he returned to Barnsley in a permanent deal and found himself cup-tied.

"It was disappointing to miss out on the FA Cup run because the lads did fantastic but I can play my part this season by helping the club stay in the Championship," he said.

"It's not been easy having relegation hanging over our heads but these last two results should help us to get out of trouble," he added.

"If we stay up, it will make up for the disappointment of not getting to the FA Cup final," he added. "This team is far too good to go down."

Macken spent five years at Preston and scored 75 goals before moving to Manchester City in a £5m deal seven years ago.

Home supporters showed their appreciation late on and the striker admitted afterwards that he would have preferred to have scored a winner against another club.

But he added: "We needed a win more than they did."

Spanish midfielder Diego Leon had scored his first goal in English football to set Barnsley on the road to victory.

Leon, who joined the Tykes from Swiss club Grasshoppers Zurich three months ago, struck a brilliant 25-yard free-kick over the Preston wall and into the top corner of the net 12 minutes before the break.

Barnsley manager Simon Davey had named an unchanged side for the trip to Deepdale.

Midfielder Brian Howard (ankle) and winger Martin Devaney (thigh) were again sidelined by injuries and striker Daniel Nardiello was not risked after recovering from a hamstring problem.

Davey, like Macken, had previously played for Preston, and was returning to Deepdale for the first time since leaving during the Craig Brown regime. Assistant manager Ryan Kidd and goalkeeping coach Kelham O'Hanlon were also back on familiar territory.

Howard's continued absence prompted Davey to stick with the 5-3-2 formation that had worked so well in victory at Watford.

Barnsley soaked up long periods of Preston pressure before doubling their advantage in the 54th minute thanks to a controversial penalty decision.

Referee Anthony Taylor ruled that winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce had been pushed in the back by defender Billy Jones after exchanging passes with Kayode Odejayi.

Macken sent goalkeeper Andy Lonergan the wrong way from the penalty spot for his seventh goal of the season.

Although an own goal by Barnsley defender Stephen Foster set up a tense finale, Preston's seven-game unbeaten run was brought to an end.

In stoppage time, Barnsley goalkeeper Luke Steele had to save a late header from Preston goalkeeper Lonergan who had pushed up for a corner.

Significantly for Barnsley, they have now won back-to-back league games for the first time since November.

The FA Cup was clearly a distraction for Barnsley who saw a possible promotion push turn into a relegation battle after drawing Liverpool in the fifth round.

Once out of the way, Barnsley have picked up where they left off and should soon be in a position to start preparing for next season.

At the same time, they are going be able to look back on memories that are guaranteed to last a lifetime – victories over Liverpool and Chelsea and a semi-final at Wembley.

Survival in the Championship does not have the same romantic feel but it is far more important to the club's long-term stability.


Preston North End: Lonergan; Jones, Mawene, St Ledger, Davidson; Sedgwick, McKenna, Carter (Chaplow 55), Whaley (L.Neal 55); Mellor, Hawley. Unused substitutes: Hill, Trottman, C.Neal.

Barnsley: Steele; Van Homoet, Foster, Souza, Nyatanga, Kozluk; Leon, Hassell, Campbell-Ryce (Togwell 90); Macken (Ferenczi 75), Odejayi (Coulson 78). Unused substitutes: Butterfield, Letheren.

Referee: A Taylor (Greater Manchester).