Danny Wilson is delighted that his former colleague Paul Heckingbottom has been successful with the strategy and team he began to put in place during his ultimately-doomed second spell as Barnsley boss.

While it was nowhere near as successful as his first reign at Oakwell, when he took the Reds to the Premiership 20 years ago this month, Wilson's second tenure saw the arrival of players such as Sam Winnall, Conor Hourihane, Josh Scowen and Adam Davies who starred in last season's promotion. He was the first manager to work with owner Patrick Cryne on his new strategy of bringing in young players from the lower leagues and selling them on for large profits.

Wilson told the Chronicle: "We had to get some value into the team because there was none before.  We had to bring in good young players who could either take the club up or be sold on for a lot of money. I thought it was a good idea and it has worked.

"My second time at Barnsley was very tough. There were so many changes going on with players who wanted to leave, players who the club wanted to get rid of and players who the fans didn't like. It was not a nice atmosphere to come into. The club made some very tough decisions. I didn't agree with all of them but some I did agree with."

Wilson, who could not prevent the Reds from being relegated to League One in 2014, was sacked the following February and replaced by Lee Johnson whose departure a year later allowed Heckingbottom to secure the promotion. He said: "It was very disappointing when I had to leave the club but life is too short to be bitter about things like that. The club had a certain way they wanted to go and it has worked out well for them.

"Paul Heckingbottom is a very, very good coach. He is a student of football.  I think he will have a long and successful career and do very well for Barnsley. Football has changed a lot since 20 years ago but you can never rule out another promotion."

Wilson was sacked by Chesterfield this season but is looking to return to work.

Danny was speaking to the Chronicle as part of this our special supplement to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the promotion to the Premiership in April 1997.  It is free in this week's Chronicle.