Why Michael Duff was happy for his Barnsley FC players to avoid 'professionalism' for two days to let their hair down before re-focusing on Sheffield Wednesday

A Friday night to savour saw the Reds book a Wembley date with South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday on May 29, thanks to Liam Kitching's 24th-minute strike in the second leg win over Wanderers.

Duff gave his players the weekend off and told them to let their hair down before coming back to training on Monday to refocus on preparations for the final.

Speaking after the game and commenting the sense of achievement, Duff said: "They don't realise it yet as they are so young. When they get fat, grey and old like me, then they will reflect so I can reflect a bit earlier.

"They can enjoy the moment and I told them to enjoy it. There is no professionalism now and it is not 'eat clean, drink clean' and do all that as the game is a week on Monday. So enjoy it. Take it.

"It is ten months of hard work and you have a day out at Wembley which don't come around very often. In 22 years, I played at Wembley twice, it does not happen very often.

"They are going to get an opportunity, but it's no day out. You might as well go there and win. If we don't, we don't, but we'll give it a good go."

While Wednesday have been rightly feted for a strong regular season which saw them amass 96 points and also set a clean sheet record and longest ever league unbeaten run, Duff insists that it is important to recognise that his own side created a few records on their own.

The Reds won nine successive home league fixtures for the first time in over a century, for instance.

Duff, whose side did the double over Wednesday in the regular season, continued: "We are playing against a team who have broken every record going. That will be a tough game.

"But this group has broken quite a few records. Right at the very start, they got written off by everybody. ‘The club is rubbish, they have sold all their best players, what is the point of this season? - we are just going to be mid-table mediocrity..’

"Don't say anything. Keep your head down and work hard. We have got a day out at Wembley which will hopefully prove the naysayers. It's been a good season, can we finish it off.."