Barnsley FC v Morecambe: The 'word is out' on the Reds, warns head coach Michael Duff

That's the message from head coach Michael Duff to his players, with their magnificent recent form turning heads across the division.

That much was evident on Tuesday night in the reaction of both Exeter City’s players and their supporters at the final whistle to their fine 3-1 win over the Reds, which inflicted a first defeat in 13 matches upon Duff's side and completed a season’s double in the process.

It also provided a salutary warning ahead of the club's remaining fixtures against several of the division's 'lesser lights', starting with Morecambe, who turned over Barnsley in the reverse fixture in the autumn.

On Barnsley now being a scalp, Duff said: "That's what I basically said to the (Exeter) players afterwards. You could see the reaction of their players and hear the crowd and see the celebration and hear their players in the dressing room.

"I said to them: 'that's what it means for the opposition.' The word is out - we are not a bad team.

"Earlier this season, when we went on this run, it was 'yes, they are all right, not bad - but a bit up and down.'

"The opposition know what is coming now and are ready for the best version of us.

"They are professional footballers and don't want to get beaten and thumped and we have thumped a few teams recently.

"It is a different expectation on us and we can't rock up and think 'we are all right, we don't have to do this and that.'

Barnsley's loss in Devon and Sheffield Wednesday's recent stumbles against Forest Green and Cheltenham have given credence to the view that the quality of the third tier in 2022-23 is as high as it's ever been and Duff isn't one to argue.

The Oakwell chief added: "Without being disrespectful, Morecambe are historically a bottom six League Two team; so are Cheltenham to be fair.

"But they have a £15m centre forward (Oumar Niasse) - and it is not like he's 39 or 40 - and people like Dan Crowley, it shows the quality filtering down.

"You look at four clubs in the play-offs and they are all ex-Premier League teams and then you look at the attendances and good players and it's filtering down.

"There's a lot of players in this league who could comfortably play in the Championship.

"This is only my second year in League One and I have spoken to people who are a lot more experienced than me and they definitely say it's the best they have seen."