Barnsley Head Coach José Morais insists his team is ready for Saturday’s South Yorkshire derby against Sheffield United.
The Reds haven’t been in action since the 2-2 draw with Bristol City at Oakwell on Good Friday, a game which the hosts were unfortunate not to take all three points from.
“I feel that the belief is there and that the team is becoming more confident every day, they are focussed on the quality of their game and we have the opportunity to see even better performances and better results,” said Morais.
“What makes me happy is that the team believes in themselves, in the possibilities of the team and this is a result of the better self-belief in their qualities.
“They look good; as a team they look OK - they feel more confident, the atmosphere is good and I like what I see.”
This was a League One fixture when the two sides last met at Oakwell, and Conor Hourihane scored a 90th minute equaliser for the Reds back in November 2015.
Prior to that, the last time Sheffield United made the short journey to Oakwell in the Championship, Hugo Colace scored the only goal as Barnsley secured bragging rights in December 2010.
Having spent a large period of the season in the play-off places, the Blades now find themselves ninth in the table - just one point outside the top six.
The Reds, meanwhile, will be looking to secure victory in a bid to close the gap to the teams above and ease relegation fears.
“We have seven games to play and we believe in our possibilities to reach the goals that we want, which is to stay in the Championship,” continued Morais. “This is what we want to fight for. We have time in our favour and our focus should be where we want to be.
“We are ready. We are ready for Sheffield United - and the others. They’re a good side, an energetic team with quality - quality players - high energy in the way they play. But we are also a good side, so I’m expecting a good game.
“I’m curious to see the atmosphere on Saturday, not only because it’s a derby, but because I want to see the excitement and enthusiasm of our fans, and the excitement and energy of our team in order to give us the result that we want, and to give happiness to all the fans that see the game.”