Phil SumblerHave the mind games started already at Oakwell with Barnsley manager Valérien Ismaël already talking up their 5th place finish as “incredible” ahead of the two-legged semi-final with the Swans.
The Tykes got a point yesterday against champions Norwich which was enough to lift them above Bournemouth into fifth and that clash with the Swans which is probably the game that both sets of fans wanted in the semi finals.
Both sets of fans will believe that they can come through this game and reach the final on 29th May but Ismael may have just opened the mind games with his words which almost suggest that he is preparing people for the reality that promotion may not happen?
“To analyse the season, I think it is an incredible achievement to be fifth after 46 games in the Championship,” the 45-year-old former Bayern Munich defender said.
“When you see where we started and what happened last season, there’s been a commitment from the players on the pitch, they are dedicated to the principle of the way to play football.
“I am just grateful tonight to be manager of this team, the commitment from everyone so far this season has been incredible. It is good to see that when you are ready to invest and believe in something, you can achieve great results.
“We are really proud to give this season to the fans and I really hope we can get a big, big reward with the first leg [of the play-off semi-final] at home with fans because we need to celebrate with the fans.”
Whether the games will be in front of fans remains to be seen. The EFL are in discussions with the Welsh government over letting fans into the semi finals with English restrictions saying it is possible but Welsh ones saying the other. The league have committed to the fact that if there is no relaxing of that restriction for the game at the Liberty the game at Oakwell will be behind closed doors as well to retain the “integrity” of the competition.
It promises to be a busy week leading up to the games as both sides prepare for the first of what both sets of fans will hope to be three more games and knowing that three straight wins for anyone at this stage of the season and the riches of the Premier League will be there when the new season starts in August.
