Barnsley have had an excellent start back to life in the second tier of English football and currently find themselves sitting in third place, after taking 5 wins from 7 games.

Paul Heckingbottom's men comfortably defeated Walter Zenga's Wolves 4-0 at Molinuex on Tuesday night, in what was a shock result in the second tier.

Confidence appears to be high around Oakwell at the minute and everyone associated with the club will be hopeful their good run of form can continue.

While Barnsley are developing a reputation for bringing talent through their youth academy with the likes of John Stones and Mason Holgate rising through the ranks in recent years, this article is going to take a look at THREE of Barnsley's best signings from the past 5 years...

 

Conor Hourihane 

Midfielder Conor Hourihane has been a revelation at the club since he was plucked from League Two Plymouth back in 2014, and since then he has gone onto make close to 100 appearances for the club, and is now the club captain,

Hourihane is a huge fan favourite at Oakwell and is an indispensable member of the squad, he is the creative heartbeat of the team thanks to his excellent passing range and vision.

He also adds a source of goals from midfield, Hourihane has a wicked long shot in his arsenal and can also prove a danger direct from set-pieces and has scored many direct free-kick in his time.

Hourihane is a former Republic Of Ireland under-21 and under -9 international and is a player of clear quality.

Sam Winnall

Striker Sam Winnall is another player who has been a revelation at the club since signing from Scunthorpe United back in 2014, since signing for the South Yorkshire club he has gone onto make 75 appearances, scoring 30 goals throughout that time.

Winnall was instrumental in the club gaining promotion from League One last year, after a prolific season where he netted 21 times, as Barnsley triumphed in the Play-Off final against Millwall.

Winnall is a goal poacher, he has the knack of being in the right place at the right time, and is someone who will be desperate to prove he what it takes to make the step up to the Championship.

Alfie Mawson

Despite only spending one season with the club, Alfie Mawson must be seen as one of the best signings in the last 5 years when looking at it from a business point of view.

Mawson had a terrific campaign last year as he made 47 appearances and scored 7 goals in the process, he was defensively solid and proved to be a confident and commanding figure in the back four and displayed confidence and composure way beyond his years.

Mawson is now a Swansea City player after he made the move to the Welsh club this summer.