Barnsley centre-back Aapo Halme has commented on the lifted mood in the dressing room in recent weeks, following his late equaliser against West Brom on Boxing Day.

The Tykes have been revitalised under Gerhard Struber this season and are edging closer to making it out of the relegation zone, despite looking doomed earlier in the season. The season started poorly as Barnsley got to grips with an overhaul of the first-team squad in the summer, with major outgoings replaced with untested, young players.

However, results have begun to pick up and Struber’s side currently find themselves just one point from safety after a run of four games without defeat, as they recorded two wins and two draws.

There was not much hope from the neutral for the Tykes as they faced off against West Brom at Oakwell on Boxing Day, and they got off to the worst possible start when Filip Krovinovic capitalised on a Sami Radlinger blunder.

However, Barnsley stayed in the game and were rewarded when Finnish centre-back Aapo Halme flicked home from close range to snatch a point for the hosts.

It is a sign of the times under Struber at the moment as the crowd and players alike became very buoyant and are looking forward to the coming games to climb out of danger.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Halme commented on the transformed mood in the dressing room, stating: "We played well, and West Brom are top of the table so I think we’re ready to go and compete at Swansea at the weekend. I think things are looking better and I feel like the dressing room is happier now.

"We have to keep going and continue to believe in ourselves. We have the feeling we can win games. It’s growing more and more into our game. The Millwall game was good for us, it gave us the confidence that we can win away from Oakwell also."

The Verdict

The Tykes are certainly lifted by their recent results and performances and Halme has been a big part of that as he converts from a centre-back to a central midfielder.

Up next is another test against play-off hopefuls Swansea, but Barnsley will fancy their chances with the Swans’ home form not up to scratch this season.