Barnsley chief executive Dane Murphy has praised the players, staff and fans for the roles they have played in lifting the team to the edge of the Championship play-off places but says everyone at the club is staying calm and avoiding 'P-words.'The play-offs, promotion and Premier League have been mentioned regularly in the same sentence as the Reds for the first time in decades after they rose to seventh in the second tier with a run of six successive victories under Valerien Ismael.But Murphy says all employees are taking a considered approach with 13 games remaining in the season.He told the Chronicle: "The energy levels and positivity are palpable from the dressing room, the staff, the town - everyone. It's an atmosphere and drive that has been there for a few months but now we are really hitting our stride with the results. It's a great time to be part of Barnsley Football Club right now."The best thing to do is to try to keep our feet on the ground, approach things as we have all season long and follow the methods that Valerien has continually trotted out which is one game at a time."I am avoiding the P-words. I am a superstitious guy from my playing days and that has carried on. It's hard not to daydream sometimes but we have to keep our feet on the ground and make sure we're taking it one day at a time and one game at a time."The atmosphere and culture of the club and the town has transformed. You can take pride in it but there's something greater than that. This team and this club is helping us all to get through a very difficult time that we never expected to happen."Asked what he believes the key factors are in the success, Murphy said: "It is the unity and chemistry in the group and the fact that Valerien has made sure that, if everyone follows his approach, we can compete against any team. Everyone believes it from player one to 28 as well as every member of staff."Five subs helps with the way we play, some clubs have mentioned the pitches helping us but we have played well in a lot of different pitches and I also believe that Barnsley sticking to their philosophy of recruitment is now beginning to bear fruit."Season tickets for the 2020/21 season have been on sale since March 1 and Murphy is delighted with the uptake so far. He said: "It's been a very successful first four or five days. It's testament to our town, community and supporters that we are all going through this period together but we can lift each other's spirits. I have been inspired by the supporters throughout this pandemic. No matter what happens, they support us."Things are going very well on the field and we've been able to navigate difficult times financially but we are not out of the water and a lot of revenues streams have still dried up completely. So the boost of season ticket sales is massive and we can't thank the fans enough."This year the club is offering different prices for existing season ticket holders and those who did not have a season ticket in this current campaign.Murphy said: "We know there were plenty of supporters in the community who want to support the club but, last year, they just couldn't because they didn't have the means."But I think we had to find a way to make sure those who support us throughout the pandemic had a bit of boost this year."
