After a season away we welcome Barnsley Baz back to LFW to explain exactly how a team that loses eight straight matches ends up promoted anyway.

How did Barnsley win promotion last season after losing eight on the spin earlier in the campaign? What was the turn around due to?

Baz:I think main reason for our turn around was the signing of Adam Hammill from Huddersfield in November. He was just too good for League 1. Also, Lee Johnson stopped playing key players out of position. I should also mention Ashley Fletcher, who signed in January on loan from Man Utd and scored some very important goals in the last few months of the season.

And where does that leave Lee Johnson in the Barnsley fans' general opinion?

Baz: He wasn't actually with us for very long so I think most fans don't have a particularly strong opinion about him. Although he left at a crucial point of the season, I got the impression many were not that bothered, mainly due to the horrendous football his team served up before Christmas. Having said that, some do have quite a negative opinion due to the fact that despite our worst run of league defeats in decades (and going out to Altrincham in the FA Cup), the club stood by him and he repaid that loyalty by leaving as soon as he was offered the Bristol City job. In his defence, he did turn things round, and he managed to get us to Wembley in the JPT.

Presumably Paul Heckingbottom getting the job permanently was a forgone conclusion after the promotion?

Baz: Yes, the team just continued to improve with him in charge. That, two Wembley wins, and the fact he's a former player made it a no-brainer, despite his inexperience as a manager.

Summer transfer business... Any still to come/go?

Baz: Apparently a few clubs have expressed interest in centre back Alfie Mawson (including yourselves according to the Yorkshire Post). I am hopeful that due to the John Stones money coming our way we are in a better position to keep hold of our best players. There are rumours we are trying to get Lloyd Isgrove back on loan from Southampton, who was excellent for us last season.

How did the pre-season go and what have you made of your first couple of matches?

Baz: Pre-season was promising. We played very well in a draw against Hull but were outclassed by Everton once they brought Ross Barkley on. The season itself has been mixed so far. I wasn't at Ipswich but we apparently played well first half and should have gone ahead having missed a couple of easy chances. We then made several bad defensive errors in the second half and lost 4-2. Last week saw our customary defeat in the first round of the League Cup, in a poor performance against Northampton. I was fearing the worst against Derby on Saturday but we were excellent and much the better side in a 2-0 win so should have gained some much needed confidence as a team.

Best players and weak links in the current side?

Baz: Conor Hourihane has started the season very well, particularly considering he hasn't played at this level before. He's always been very good going forward but has added defensive qualities to his game which were lacking at times last season. Adam Hammill on the wing is also very dangerous and has the ability to score spectacular goals but probably isn't as consistent as Hourihane. Regarding weak links, it's early days yet (and they were excellent against Derby on Saturday) but I suspect our defence might leak a fair few goals this season, particularly as most haven't played in the Championship before.

Realistic aims and predictions for this season?

Baz: Main aim for this season is survival, which I think we can achieve and I see us finishing around 17th/18th in the table. If we do stay up, the aim should then be a season-on-season improvement, which we never managed during our last stint in the Championship.

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