Barnsley FC for the play-offs? Here’s Valerian Ismael’s verdict

The team that survived by the skin of their teeth in July - it was only a last-minute goal at Brentford and Wigan’s 12-point deduction for going into administration that saved them - were supposed to be back down there fighting again.

Especially after Gerhard Struber, the architect of that ‘Great Escape’, left for New York Red Bulls with only one win on the board at the start of the new season.

But perspectives are changing at Oakwell.

Tuesday night’s 2-1 win over Preston North End was their third successive victory and eighth in 12 matches under Frenchman Valerian Ismael, the man brought in to succeed Struber.

That run of form has taken Barnsley up to ninth, four points shy of the top six. They have amassed 28 points in 19 games, 14 fewer than was required last season to reach that mark.

Reds fans have been here before. Four seasons ago a victory over Rotherham United on the final Saturday of January took them to within a point of the top six, but they sold Conor Hourihane and Sam Winnall before the closing of the window and the wheels came off.

Before then, you have to go back to the days of Tony Blair in Downing Street and Dave Bassett in the Oakwell dugout for the last time they flirted with promotion, Bassett taking them all the way to the 1999-2000 play-off final.

So what about this vintage?

Ismael is mindful of how big a month January could be as rival clubs could come circling again. Reds followers have been bitten before.

But they can be excused for looking at the table this morning, smiling at what they see, and wondering what if.

Ismael’s level-headed response will reassure them.

“I tell you very honestly when I say we are looking at the games one by one,” he said.

“I know the quality of the Championship, it is a very. very tough league.

“You can quickly go in the other direction, that’s why you have to stay focused.

“If you get your points, if you reach your purpose as quick as possible then after if we are still there in the table then we can speak about something else, but for the moment the focus is only on the next game and on Saturday.”

So the target, then, first and foremost, remains survival.

“Our purpose is to give confidence to the guys, to have as big a gap between us and behind as possible,” continued Ismael.

“After that we will see. For the moment we are on the way and we are in a good way, but we have still a long way to go.

“Any game you win you get closer to your purpose, so we have to keep that momentum.”