Reds fans are warned of tough times ahead

The Tykes enter today’s final game of the season seven points clear of the relegation zone and safe from the drop.

However, if relegated Portsmouth had not been docked 10 points by the Football League, the Tykes would have been in the bottom three today and still sweating over their future.

McNulty, who has won the club’s players’ player of the year award, said: “I can’t help but say a realistic target next season will be just to stay in the league – whether by one point, goal difference, or 10 points.

“I know I should be saying ‘We will push for the play-offs’ or a nice top half finish – that’s what we all want – but a realistic hope is just to stay up and I am sure that will be reflected in the bookies’ odds when they came out in the summer.”

The Tykes have bagged just five points in the last 14 games yet survived thanks to an impressive performance in the first half of the season.

The sale of striker Richard Vaz Te, the departure of loanee midfielder Danny Drinkwater and injury to captain Jacob Butterfield ripped a hole in Keith Hill’s side in the New Year.

“It’s been a tale of two halves,” admitted McNulty.

“We were fantastic in the first half of the season and, quite often, we were having to keep a lid on talk of the play-offs! But it’s well documented that we lost important players in January.

“Other clubs are able to hold onto their quality players but we are in a position where we probably cannot,” he added. “We have got to live with it and I don’t see that changing in the next few years.”

McNulty, 27, joined the Tykes last summer from Brighton and Hove Albion, who visit Oakwell today for the final game of the season.

With nothing at stake but pride for either club, manager Hill will play a number of the club’s youngsters at some stage in today’s game, including Jordan Clark, Danny Rose, and possibly John Stones.

On-loan striker Kallum Higginbotham has been recalled by Huddersfield Town ahead of their play-off campaign against Milton Keynes Dons.