Conor Chaplin was delighted to end a ten-game goalless run against Norwich City and give himself extra belief ahead of the play-offs.
The striker headed in the Reds’ second in a 2-2 draw on Saturday which was their last match of the regular season in which he scored four.
It was his first goal at Oakwell in more than six months and may earn him a starting place in the play-offs despite competition from several others.
Chaplin told the Chronicle: “It’s definitely good to get that goal before the play-offs. Goals breed confidence so I was really happy to score. I probably had more shots than any other game with the way we played and the way we pressed.
“My granddad told me I was going to score. He usually tells me to try to score but he said I definitely would. I’ll tell him to say that every time now.
“The competition in this team has been a big reason as to why we are where we are. It’s big testament to the way the players have been brought in to complement what we already had.”
Barnsley finished fifth after staying up on the final day last season.
Chaplin said: “It’s an incredible achievement to finish fifth with the calibre of clubs in this league and the money.
“We’re aware of that but the Championship season is done and we have all eyes on the play-offs.
“We will reflect on what we have achieved after that.”
Asked for the moment he thought the Reds could reach the play-offs, Chaplin said: “When we won seven games on the bounce (in February and March) it was a big momentum-turn and a belief-builder. The win at Bournemouth was another big one and after that we thought ‘we have a right chance here.’”
Chaplin was pleased with Barnsley’s performance against Norwich.
“We have been disappointed with the last few performances. We have got a few good results but we haven’t been playing like we can. We were back to how we can play when we have been really good.”
Chaplin is looking forward to facing Swansea in the semi-finals. He said: “They are a good side with good players. You would expect that in the play-offs. We are exactly the same. We’re excited and can’t wait. We weren’t our best in the league games against them but, if we get back to our best, we can beat anyone.”
