Micky Mellon says his experiences as assistant and caretaker at 'terrific club' Barnsley have helped him get promotion into League One with tomorrow's visitors Shrewsbury Town.

Mellon played a key role as David Flitcroft's assistant when Barnsley survived relegation from the Championship in 2013 after being seven points adrift.

The Scotsman says he will never forget securing safety on the final day with a 2-2 draw at Huddersfield Town. Mellon told the Chronicle: "Managers often say their former clubs are fantastic clubs but I really mean it about Barnsley.

"It is a terrific football club with brilliant fans and brilliant people behind the scenes. My experience there was second to none and I will never forget it.

"I have been promoted seven times as a player and a manager but staying up with Barnsley is right up there in my career achievements.

"My kids were very young at the time but they are a little bit older now and when I tell them about that season and the day at Huddersfield they don't believe me and think I am telling them a fairytale.

"I have to show them the clip on YouTube and it makes the hairs stand up on the backs of our necks. What I learned at Barnsley has definitely improved me as a manager and a person and helped me get promotion at Shrewsbury."

Mellon says it was 'impossible to keep that intensity' the next season and he was 'devastated' when Flitcroft was sacked after two wins from 17.

Mellon then served three games as caretaker manager but insists he was never spoken to about becoming manager and said it was the 'right decision' to appoint Danny Wilson.

Mellon was Wilson's assistant until he left in February last year. "I had a very good and very honest relationship with Danny Wilson. He is a good man and I still keep in touch with him.

"But I was never his man and he needed to bring in his own person. That eventually became obvious to both of us.

"Danny said the synergy wasn't right and that was true. I needed to be a manager at that point, not an assistant. "We had an honest conversation, decided I would leave and we had a big hug."

Mellon was appointed as Shrewsbury boss three months later and led them to second in League Two.

But they have picked up just two points from their first five League One games, although they did beat Oldham in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on Tuesday.

Mellon said: “We need to kickstart our season and there is no better place to do it than at Barnsley. 

“I am looking forward to going back and it should be a good game between two young, footballing teams.

”This summer, the Shrews have lost Connor Goldson to Brighton for £800,000, Ryan Woods to Brentford for just more than £1million, Josh Ginnelly to Burnley for £100,000 and 17-year-old goalkeeper Harry Lewis to Southampton for £250,000. 

Mellon said: “We have brought more than £2million in but four really talented boys have left. No team is better after selling their best players. We are not as good a side as we were two weeks ago.”

Mellon has several players in his squad that he worked with at Barnsley. Midfielder Liam Lawrence, 33, played 14 games for the Reds under Wilson last year but has been more of a regular fixture in Mellon’s Shrewsbury side. 

Former Oakwell academy forward Jordan Clark, who turns 22 this month and played seven times for his hometown club, also joined the Shrews last summer.

The Hoyland lad played 30 games in the promotion season then made his first start of this campaign on Tuesday. Mellon has also recruited two of Clark’s former Barnsley academy team-mates in Darren McKnight and Sam Patterson.

McKnight will miss tomorrow’s game as he has been called up for Northern Ireland under 21s while Patterson made his debut against Oldham after paying his own expenses and sleeping on a campbed during a seven-week trial.

Martin Woods, another midfielder who played under Mellon at Oakwell, started the season with Shrewsbury but has returned to former club Ross County.