Burton v Barnsley FC: Reds will continue to keep the noise out, insists Michael Duff

Even if it is all very complimentary and in their favour at the minute.

All manner of feats have been recorded by the club in a vintage 2023 so far, but Duff - at a critical juncture in the campaign - is keeping true to the principles which he has stuck to since he walked into the building at Oakwell last summer.

Duff said: "You break the season down and it’s 23 games and 54 points and if you double that, you are definitely going to win the league.

"It's pleasing, but it means nothing and talk is cheap. It's nice talk, but we can't get full of ourselves and start believing it all.

"Because at the start, I told them (players) to keep the noise out and the negativity when many had written off this group and couldn't wait for us to trip and say: 'I told you, he's rubbish, they are rubbish.'

"I ignored it then and it's a two-way street. It's nice to hear nicer things, but don't let it inflate your ego or get in the way of what has got you those results - and that's training properly every day."

Neither Barnsley's players or Duff may not be talking up their promotion prospects, but there is rather more chatter among supporters with the Reds having a chance of breaking into their top-two if they maintain their form.

Should they do that by season's end, it is likely that they will have eclipsed their total of 91 which saw them finish second in League One in their last successful promotion campaign at third-tier level back in 2018-19.

Duff commented: "You could end up with 91 points and not in the top three. But it does not concern me what the record is.

“We’ll end up where we end up. We need to try and collect as many points as we can. It's boring, but why change now. It's worked up to now.

"There's quite a bit to go in our league. The clocks go forward, there’s lighter nights and the ticker (remaining) games goes down to single figures, it's the exciting part of the season."

Jasper Moon, who joined Burton on loan from Barnsley in January, is ineligible for today’s game.