Barnsley players handed chance to be ‘unprofessional’ ahead of Sheffield Wednesday do-or-die
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And both Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley have been allowed the opportunity to let their hair down before getting back down to business this week as they celebrated their respective semi-final successes.
The two teams meet on May 29 at Wembley for a place in the Championship and with a sizeable gap between semi-final second legs and that date under the arch, social media has featured images of players on both sides enjoying the fruits of their labours.
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Hide AdOwls boss Darren Moore encouraged his players to ‘enjoy tonight’ after their dramatic semi-final win over Peterborough United, while Barnsley manager Michael Duff followed suit after their win over Bolton Wanderers on Friday.
“They don't realise it yet as they are so young,” Duff said. “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.”
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Hide AdReflecting a little further on the final itself and the difficulty of the task both sides face, Tykes boss Duff made no mistake his respect for the Owls.
“We are playing against a team who have broken every record going,” he said. “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..”