Lee Johnson feels Barnsley are capable of pushing for the play-offs after salvaging a point against his Bristol City.
The former Oakwell head coach is impressed with his ex-club's attacking options. He told the Chronicle: "I believe Barnsley could stay in mid-table or kick on. You look at the talent pool they have in the front group and it's huge.
"We were lucky in the team that Barnsley were unable to put out. It would have given them another ten per cent with (Josh) Scowen, (Marc) Roberts and (Conor) Hourihane had they been available but it's always difficult to come to Oakwell. It's tough here and the game proved that."
Johnson, who signed Adam Hammill for the Reds and then tried to capture him for the Robins in the summer, felt the winger was always capable of doing damage. He scored the leveller.
Johnson said: "Adam is a good player and your heart sinks when he gets in that sort of position because you've seen it so many times before. It could have been anyone. There was a lot of players on the pitch who could come and bite you.
"I'm Bristol City manager now. It's disappointing because I have to look at it from the technical side of how we went from a throw-in in the top corner to conceding 25 seconds later. It was a rollercoaster for me and I was disappointed to come away having not got the three points. But on the balance of play a draw was a fair result."
Johnson enjoyed his return to Oakwell, which he feels was a lot more welcoming than his returns to Oldham, who he left Barnsley for. One song from the Reds faithful made him laugh.
"Apparently I've got a nice new hat that I am going to wear and wear often. To be honest, it's nice to come back because there are a lot of people who you get on very well with. When you work with people for a year you do get close to them.
"We went through a lot while I was here. The staff are a great bunch and there are some great lads in the dressing room. I think it was a lot better than when I went back to Oldham. I was pleased there was nobody behind the dugouts."
Paul Heckingbottom, who worked with Johnson before taking over and leading the club to the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and play-offs, added: "It was just a game. We were not watching each other while the game was going on. I had a chat with him before and we had a chat after the match.
"It's interesting when you're doing the same job because there is a camaraderie there regardless. It shows with the managers losing their jobs in this league that it can be tough and there is definitely a relationship between everyone who does this role because everyone understands what the other one is going through."
