Barnsley captain Marc Roberts says memories of last season will encourage the Reds players not to give up hope of the play-offs.

The Oakwell club have exactly the same number of points, 49, as they had picked up at this stage of last season when they went from bottom of League One to play-off final winners within six months.

Roberts told the Chronicle: "We've come very far as a team and we're not going to stop here. We're not in this league to make the numbers up. We want to keep getting better. We talk about it every day."

He added: "We don't really talk about the play-offs. We take it game by game.  If we get on a good run, you never know where we might finish. "We've got the quality to get in the top six and you saw what we did last year."

While centre-back Roberts stayed at his hometown club in January despite speculation linking him with a Premier League move, several of his ex team-mates left. He admits the exits of Conor Hourihane, James Bree, Sam Winnall and Sam Morsy were big losses but has been impressed with their replacements.

He said: "It's never easy when you lose players of that calibre. But the players we have brought in have stepped up well. Jamo (Matty James) is filling the void that Conor left and he has done exceptionally, considering he has not played for a long time."

After matches against top four sides Reading and Brighton as well as big-spending Aston Villa, Barnsley are in the middle of a tough run of games which includes tomorrow's derby with high-flying Huddersfield Town.

Roberts said: "Huddersfield is another big game. We've got to move on quickly (from losing to Brighton on Saturday).  We've had a good week on the training pitch and we're ready. All our games are tough but, when you look at this run, they are all big clubs with big budgets. But we want to compete with them and that's the level we want to play at."

Roberts found the defeat to Brighton a hard one to take. He said: "It was very disappointing. We played well but didn't take our chances. They didn't have many chances but they took them and that's why they are at the top of the table.

"It's the little fine margins. When you get your chances, you have got to take them. They have had two half chances and showed quality to score. "The result flattered them a little bit."