League form counts for nothing in play-offs, says Ian Evatt

The Whites picked up more points than all of their play-off rivals during the league campaign and finished on a points tally that might have been enough for automatic promotion in previous years.

But Evatt insists his players cannot afford to dwell on what has already happened as they prepare to face Barnsley over two legs.

“We are in a four-team tournament now and we have to come out the right side of it,” the manager explained. “We finished the highest of all those teams so we should have confidence, and rightly so.

“But we also know what has gone before is now finished and done, and these games can throw up surprising results.

“We will treat each game in isolation and plan for the first game at Oakwell, then we will revisit the home game once we have got through this one. We will treat this game as a one-off and are making sure we are prepared and ready for it.”

Wanderers are certainly familiar with the Tykes, having faced off seven times over the past couple of seasons.

However, the recent appointment of Martin Devaney as interim manager adds a unique twist to Friday night’s fixture.

Evatt continued: “We have played each other a lot and every game has been pretty tight, apart from when Mads Andersen got sent off early at Oakwell (a 3-0 victory in January 2023).

“After that, every other game has been really tight and competitive – it has been a draw or one-goal swing either way.

“Martin has been part of the coaching staff for a number of years now. He has a squad of players who have been used to playing a certain way for a period of time under Michael (Duff) and Neill (Collins).

“The game we saw on Saturday (against Northampton) looked pretty similar to what we have seen from them in recent years.

“But we have to be flexible and aware that if they do change, we have to find the right solutions to beat whatever system they put out there.”