Barnsley manager Michael Duff said his team will not get distracted by their impressive unbeaten run after their 3-0 win against League One promotion rivals Plymouth at Oakwell.
Second-half goals from Adam Phillips, Mads Andersen and Nicky Cadden left Argyle only two points ahead of third-placed Ipswich and eight in front of the Reds, who have two games in hand and have not lost for 10 matches.
Duff said: “I felt the first half was cagey and we didn’t use the ball well enough. We tweaked it at half-time and we became more aggressive with our pressing.
“We survived a scare at the start of the second half; credit to Harry (Isted) for his bravery. There’s a confidence within the group and you can see it in the way they’re playing.
“As soon as the first goal went in I didn’t think we’d step off and we finished really strongly. The crowd got involved and that put them on the back foot.
“Looking at the goals today we’ve had contributions all around the pitch. One of the most pleasing things is how far we’ve come as a group since the first game of the season.
“It’s been a lot of hard work and it takes time. The boys are showing the effort and application but that doesn’t guarantee results.
“A lot of people said this was a pivotal run of games but we have the mentality of just focusing on the next one. We won’t get distracted by the noise. We keep rolling on.”
Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher felt the game would have been different if his side got the first goal in the second half.
Schumacher said: “It’s just a defeat. We got beat 3-0 by a team who I felt in the second half deserved it.
“In the first half I felt we had more energy than Barnsley. We talked about how intense they have been playing for the last couple of months but in the first 45 minutes I thought they weren’t playing with the energy they have been.
“I said at half-time I thought the game was there for the taking. I said if we got the first goal I don’t think Barnsley will have it in them to get anything back.
“Ryan (Hardie) missed a chance you’d expect him to score and then they get the first goal and the game changes. It’s the fine margins.
“Because they got the first goal they get a bit of energy and the crowd gets behind them. We didn’t have enough to come back.
“We’re happy with how we’re playing at home but our recent away form is something we’re going to have to address.
“They’re all tough games. There are 10 tough games to go and we have to play better than we did especially in the second half today.”
