Tomorrow's trip to Gillingham will be the toughest match of Barnsley's current patch of sensational form, says caretaker Paul Heckingbottom.

A seven-match league winning run – the best since 1955 when the club record of ten was set – has seen the Reds soar out of the relegation zone to tenth, within five points of the play-off places.

They now travel to the Priestfield Stadium where Gillingham have picked up more home points than any side in the Football League or Premier League with 36 from 15 games. The Kent-based Gills are the top-scorers in the top four tiers of English football with 55 in the league this season while their tally of 31 at home is only bettered by Manchester City.

They face a Barnsley side who have not let in an away league goal in two months since the 3-2 victory at Colchester United on December 12. The Reds have also kept three clean sheets in a row in the league and have now won as many as they have lost in the league, while no club in the top 92 have fewer draws than their three.

Justin Edinburgh's Gillingham were second on January 2 but a run of one win in five has seen them drop to fourth, although they are still just one point behind the automatic promotion places. Barnsley have won the last six meetings between the two clubs, scoring 15 and conceding just two goals.

Heckingbottom said: "It will be our toughest test of this run so far but we will approach it in the same way as all the other games. Winning there would set down a marker to the teams in the top six. Gillingham are a good strong side. They have been up there chasing an automatic spot all season.

"We have already got to Wembley once, we can put that on the shelf. At the moment we are all driving towards getting there again in the play-offs. The Wembley final will keep everyone hungry and wanting to keep their standards high to be involved there.

"We are also chasing fifth or sixth spot in the league. The odds are stacked against us to make the play-offs but we will try our best. "I would obviously love to lead my hometown club out at Wembley but we all have to put that to the back of all of our minds and focus on each league game as it comes."