Paul Heckingbottom praises Barnsley players as they clinch final place
Thursday 19 May 2016 23:13, UK
Paul Heckingbottom says Hull's escape against Derby served as a warning to his Barnsley side before they saw out their passage to the League One play-off final.
Steve Bruce's side looked to have all but sealed their place in the Championship equivalent after their 3-0 first-leg win at the iPro Stadium but then lost the return game at home 2-0, losing both goals in the first half.
Barnsley went into their second leg with Walsall on Thursday night sporting the same lead but instead of almost losing it, they opened a 2-0 lead before conceding once then restoring their cushion in a 3-1 win.
The Oakwell side will now play either Millwall or Bradford at Wembley on Sunday, May 29, with those sides meeting on Friday night at The Den and the London side holding a 3-1 advantage.
Caretaker manager Heckingbottom said: "We've got the end result now, we've got what we wanted. It could have been tricky but I thought we set up really well, the first 20 minutes especially.
"We had a game plan - we wanted to be the ones dictating, we wanted to be the ones on the front foot and I thought we had a couple of chances before we scored the first goal.
"We spoke about it being a 180-minute game. That's how you have to approach the first one but then the second one, depending on what position you're in, you have to treat it differently.
"We couldn't take our foot off the gas. We couldn't try to contain them because we know they are a good side when you let them have the ball.
"We wanted to play to our strengths and luckily enough we did. The games in the Championship probably served as a warning to us."
Heckingbottom has been in temporary charge since Lee Johnson left to take charge of Bristol City in February.
His contribution has been remarkable as he has helped take Barnsley from the relegation zone to success in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and now the play-off final.
His long-term future will be resolved in the summer but for now, his focus is on taking his side through to a second-tier return.
Heckingbottom scored one of the penalties for Barnsley in the League One play-off final 10 years ago in a win over Swansea - but says success this time would eclipse that.
"That's gone, isn't it?" the 38-year-old added. "It's like last week's win - it's gone and it's all about the next win.
"Our biggest game now happens to be our final game of the season and you've got everything riding on it.
"The players have to take the credit. They were the ones getting beaten, they were the ones getting the stick but putting the work.
"When we started getting wins, you could see the confidence start flowing and they bought into it even more. They've risen to everything that's been put in front of them."
Walsall caretaker boss Jon Whitney was magnanimous in defeat and wished Barnsley well at Wembley, before reflecting on an excellent season for the Saddlers.
"I was really impressed with them, they are a really good team. I hope they go on and win it," said Whitney.
"Of course it hurts, I hate losing. I never want to lose but of course it happens in this job, it doesn't make it any easier. It's hard to look back at it now. It's hard when emotions are running to think so clearly.
"I guess you try not to get too low about the lows or too high about the highs. But we must try to remember that this has been a terrific season for us, to finish third on 84 points was a great effort."
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