Barnsley: Reds are like Leicester, says Hammill

The Reds were bottom at Christmas but a phenomenal upturn in fortunes has seen them reach Sunday’s League One Play-off Final at Wembley.

Winger Hammill got the opening goal in the second leg of the semi-final as Barnsley battered Walsall 6-1 on aggregate.

Despite the Reds’ run of form, he knows his side have one more hurdle to overcome.

“I don’t think it’s a Leicester - that’s unbelievable - but we’re not far behind,” said Hammill, who has scored eight times since rejoining Barnsley in November.

“But the job is nowhere near complete. We need to go to Wembley, be victorious and get back into the promised land, which is the Championship.

“Each and every single one of the players in the changing room wants to test themselves at the highest level and there’s no better chance than to go to Wembley and prove why we deserve to be there.”

Hammill has been a catalyst in the turnaround, having returned to Oakwell when the Reds were bottom of the table.

Much was made of the youthfulness of the squad earlier in the campaign, and the 28-year-old has added experience and quality.

He quickly re-established himself as a fans’ favourite and admits that securing promotion to the second tier would be special.

He added: “It would mean the world to me. I came in and we were bottom of the league, and we turned it around with the support of the fans.

“I’ve said before we were in a false position when I came in. The team is full of talented players but needed a bit of experience to blend it.

“Thankfully we brought a few more loan players in and we’ve excelled and kicked on from there. We’ve hit a good patch of form and long may it continue. Each and every lad gets on. They respect each other. We all play to our strengths and we die for each other on the pitch.

“The 110% commitment and the workrate are there in the desire to work for each other and also the staff.”

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