Yorkshire trio get primed for vital schedule

Nigel Adkins, meanwhile, knows from experience how the scrap for the play-offs in League One can go right down to the very last kick of the season.

The all-important run-in is upon us courtesy of an earlier than usual Easter period that could go a long way towards deciding who, if any, of Barnsley, Bradford City and Sheffield United is capable of prevailing in what continues to be a fascinating tussle for the top six.

All three of the county’s promotion hopefuls are in action twice over the holiday period, albeit with the Blades’ trip to Southend United having been put back from Monday to Wednesday night thanks to Sky TV.

With six points up for grabs, the table could look very different by the start of April with even Swindon Town back in 14th place still harbouring hopes of a late dash for the play-offs thanks to having a game in hand on all their rivals.

For now, Barnsley, already destined for one trip to Wembley this season in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, are the team to catch thanks to a run of 12 wins in 15 games that has propelled the club from the relegation zone at Christmas to occupy the final play-off berth at Easter.

“From where we were to where we are, the turnaround has been amazing,” said caretaker head coach Heckingbottom.

“But the hard work starts here and every game between now and the end of the season will be a battle. Teams are going to make us earn every point.”

Barnsley’s Easter features a home clash with Scunthorpe and a trip to Port Vale. Nearest rivals Bradford City will be hoping to capitalise on any slip as they host Millwall and then travel to Crewe Alexandra on Monday.

Saturday’s visit of the fifth-placed Lions could be key, not just for the Bantams but all those sides looking to overhaul Neil Harris’s men during the run-in.

The London club are four points clear of both Barnsley and Bradford so the stakes will be high at Valley Parade in front of what is sure to be another bumper crowd.

“It is an important stage of the season, but the good managers and coaches and players stand up to be counted,” said Parkinson, who led City to promotion from League Two in 2013.

“This stage of the season is what you get paid for. We are going to relish it because we have been here before and we have got a lot of experience in the camp.

“Myself, the staff and a lot of the players have been in this position so we are ready for it. In football, though, you have got to be careful.

“The moment everyone starts thinking we are better than we are is when you can suddenly come down with a bump.”

Bradford’s run-in looks, on paper, very similar to that of Barnsley. Both Yorkshire clubs face two of the current top six during their final nine games along with at least one of the sides occupying a relegation berth.

City also have meetings with Coventry and Southend, the two sides directly below them in the table, while Barnsley must go to Bramall Lane on April 23 for a derby with potentially huge implications.

By then, United could be out of it. Trailing the top six by half a dozen points, the Blades look a long shot to claim a fourth tilt at the play-offs in five years.

Not only are Adkins’s men the very epitome of inconsistency, but the club’s run-in looks daunting with three of the top six laying in wait along with Coventry and Southend.

It is also worth nothing that in the past five seasons, just two clubs – Chesterfield last term and Stevenage in 2011-12 – have finished in the play-offs when not already occupying a place in the top six at the corresponding stage.

Adkins, though, insists all is far from lost for his men. “We have a lot of teams in and around us to play and that is important,” said the United chief to The Yorkshire Post yesterday at the club’s Shirecliffe training base.

“We are in the race. Just off it, but still in the race. And I know from experience where I have taken it to the very final day of the season and we (Scunthorpe United) scored in the last minute to get into the play-offs – and we ended up getting promoted that year.”