The Lambeth-born 25-year-old really turned on the style to make the final game of the season at Oakwell a cake-walk for the Reds against the club he started his career with.

A 12th-minute opener settled the nerves and with Lewin Nyatanga scoring before the break and Jon Macken adding a third in the 85th minute, it was mission completed.

Campbell-Ryce then revealed how he had hardly trained in the past fortnight and had had to endure pain-killing jabs before the last four games since being injured against Watford.

"I have an ankle injury and had four or five injections which numb the pain for the game – at this stage of the season you do what you must to get through games but now we are safe I can rest and go and have my holidays early," said the Jamaican international.

Reflecting on victories over Chelsea and Liverpool in the FA Cup and a semi-final trip to Wembley, allied to beating the drop, he continued: "We have had a fantastic season. We are not very far off – we have the right ingredients and if the majority of the squad can stay together we can push on. Certain players have done very well this season and other clubs will be looking at them but if the gaffer can manage to keep the majority together then I think we have a great opportunity.

"For a small team like Barnsley to reach the FA Cup semi-final was a fantastic achievement and though some people will say that we were distracted by the Cup after the flying start we had to the season, the most important thing is that we are safe and can go and enjoy our summer."

Although his performance refuted his claim, Campbell-Ryce said he did not have a particular point to prove to Charlton.

"First of all, it was a fantastic result – we knew what we had to do and went out and did it. It was great to get one up on my old side. For my goal, I crept in round the back and the first shot was going wide but luckily it came back to me and I just punched it into the corner.

"Some people may say I didn't get the chance I deserved at Charlton but I never hold grudges. I had a year-and-a-half left on my contract and I took it on myself to leave when I did because I wanted to crack on and get first team football.

"It's all about playing – it's not just about sitting around in the reserves at a Premier League club at 21 or 22 years old. It was time to go out and play games. I want to thank Charlton because they gave me my pro contract and helped me progress," said Campbell-Ryce, whose journey to Oakwell has taken in seven other clubs, including Rotherham.

Progress is what Barnsley manager Simon Davey believes his side have made despite operating on the fourth lowest crowds in the Championship.

He has, however, highlighted two areas of immediate concern.

"We need to improve our away form (15 points out of 66) and improve our goals for ratio (just 52 in 45 games) – we have improved in all other areas," he said.

"When I took over I said we would try to improve year on year. Even before today's game we had a higher points tally, more clean sheets, and our goals against were better than last year. We have better players now, everything looks healthy.

"I don't think we ever believed we would go down. Like last year we have taken it to the penultimate game but when you look over the season we are too good a side to have to be doing that. We need to make sure we don't repeat it again.

"The players have worked very, very hard. To get to an FA Cup semi-final was fantastic, but after that to go into the bottom three and we then faced six cup finals. We've won three out of five now. The players have come up trumps."

He must have been relieved to come up against a Charlton side who had nothing to play for, having missed out on the play-offs the previous week.

The only player to trouble them was England Under-16 midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, who, at 16 years and 59 days, became the youngest to appear in a Charlton shirt.

The visitors were given no time to settle and Campbell-Ryce struck at the second attempt in the 12th minute after Macken's shot had deflected into his path.

The vital moment came in the 33rd minute when Rob Kozluk headed clear Shelvey's goalbound volley, Barnsley countered and Nicky Weaver parried Campbell-Ryce's drive for a corner, which was headed out wide to the left of charlton's area.

Bobby Hassell retrieved and crossed deep, Dennis Souza challenged and fellow central defender Nyatanga forced home to make it 2-0.

Madjid Bougherra, whose wife is due to give birth soon, was replaced at the break by Sam Sodje and the centre-back was lucky to escape unpunished as he tripped Macken inside the area.

Fellow strike-partner Kayode Odejayi - denied by a goalline clearance in first half stoppage time - was also brought down on the edge of the area and Hassell's free-kick over the seven-man wall struck the bar.

Charlton persevered with just Chris Iwelumo up front, although Paddy McCarthy volleyed over from inside the six-yard area in the 81st minute following a corner and Kozluk cleared off the line a scuffed shot from substitute Andy Gray.

There was to be no comeback, however, as Macken rose to head home at the far post in the 85th minute after a cross from Marciano Van Homoet, brought in at right-back after supporters' player-of-the-year Stephen Foster was ruled out of this and the last game at Cardiff after tearing a calf muscle in training.

Revenge for their FA Cup semi-final defeat would be sweet and Davey said: "We've still got a job to do to get 58 points. Just because we're safe doesn't mean we rest on our laurels."


Barnsley: Steele; Van Homoet (Ferenczi 86), Souza, Nyatanga, Kozluk; Campbell-Ryce, Hassell, Howard (Butterfield 76), Leon (Togwell 59); Macken, Odejayi 68. Unused substitutes: Letheren, Nardiello.

Charlton Athletic: Weaver; Semedo (Wagstaff 66), Bougherra (Sodje 46), McCarthy, Thatcher; Halford, Ambrose (Gray 70), Holland, Shelvey, Varney; Iwelumo. Unused substitutes: Randolph, Basey.

Referee: RJ Beeby (Northamptonshire).