Paul Heckingbottom hopes Barnsley can take the fight for play-off places right down to the wire.

The Reds boss does not believe they will have to win all of their five remaning  matches to finish in the top six but is just focused on closing the three-point gap between them and sixth-placed Gillingham. Taking the chase to the final league fixture on May 8 at Wigan, who are almost certain to have gained automatic promotion by then, is the aim according to the caretaker head coach.

He told the Chronicle: “The last thing we want is for the last few games to be meaningless – for the wins not to matter and the losses not to hurt. “I would hate that. We’ve worked so hard to get into this position and the fans have enjoyed it but we want to make sure we finish it off now. We just want to keep it going as long as we can.

"We are right back in it. Walsall’s win at Gillingham (on Tuesday when Barnsley were beating Oldham) was the result we wanted as well. 

“I think if we did win all our remaining games then we would do it. Do we have to? No. We’re in a place now where as long as we are gaining slight ground on Gillingham, we’ll go into the last two games knowing we’re in with a shot in the last game of the season.

"We want it to go right to the very last game. Get that gap down to two points and it’s anyone’s. This time of the season you have to be in the thick of it. You have to have things to play for. The fans are desperate and clinging to the fact that we’re chasing the play-offs. We want that to continue.”

Heckingbottom says the Reds still have momentum following their memorable Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Wembley win. 

“Every single game we are desperate to win and the players are giving everything. We talk about it (reaching the play-offs). When you are chasing things you have that momentum. The players get their belief from the results and the momentum stays. When we have had a defeat it’s not been the end of the world. When we have won we celebrate it but we have kept that level-headedness.”

The Oakwell head coach says a fully fit and large squad will be needed for the final five matches as the Reds will have to be at their freshest to keep picking up points. He said: “Hopefully we can keep everyone fit from now until the end of the season and give certain people opportunities that they have not had. We want to keep it fresh and keep the energy that we have got.

"We need to play that way because we have got to win almost every game.“If we pick up little knocks from now until the end of the season, we know that it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. To start with (on selection) our hands were tied a hell of a lot and the decisions we were making were forced on us but you have to get them right."Now it’s a little bit different because you have to pick the best 11 and the strongest bench.”