It has been a tremendous nine months or so for Barnsley, who have found it within themselves to get out of League One, win the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, and make a tremendous start to the Championship campaign. 

Under manager Paul Heckingbottom, the Reds have made a stunning start to life in the Championship and sit 3rd in the table, level on points with big spending Newcastle United.

Barnsley hammered Wolves last night at Molineux 4-0, further backing up their credentials as a quality side who are not going to be out of their depth over the course of the Championship season.

There has been some ups and downs to get Barnsley to where they are now over the last few seasons, and the last couple of years inparticular have proved fruitful, with many of the decisions made by the club paying off.

Here, FLW writer Lee Connor looks at the THREE best things Barnsley have done in the last five years....

Appointing Lee Johnson

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Despite only spending a year with Barnsley, the appointment of Lee Johnson was a turning point in the club's fortunes.

Taking over in February 2014, with the Reds languishing in the League One table, Johnson guided Barnsley to safety with ease, employing an exciting brand of football and winning over fans with his infectious style.

Despite going on a run of 8 consecutive defeats in the 2014/15 season, the Reds kept faith with Johnson, and this was rewarded, as Johnson guided the club to 12th amid a long unbeaten run, as well as leading his team to Wembley for the JPT Final.

Johnson would leave in February of that season before the JPT Final, but the Reds would continue their good run under Caretaker Manager Paul Heckingbottom, ultimately going on to seal promotion against Millwall in the League One playoff final.

Sticking to a recruitment policy

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Barnsley have made a habit over the past two to three seasons especially, of bringing in young, hungry players from either the lower leagues, or from Premier League clubs on loan deals.

This has paid dividends, with manager Paul Heckingbottom being able to move some players on for big fees, while being able to integrate the rest of his bargain buys around class acts like Conor Hourihane, Sam Winnall, and Adam Hammill.

Alfie Mawson has recently departed for £5m, representing a huge profit on a player signed from relative obscurity. Other players like Marc Roberts, Adam Davies, and Josh Scowen have all formed vital cogs in the Barnsley team, and they are now reaping the rewards from this policy.

Appointing Paul Heckingbottom permanently

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Following on from Lee Johnson departing for Bristol City, Barnsley gave the job on a temporary basis to Paul Heckingbottom, who was already at the club and knew the inner workings of the squad already.

Heckingbottom guided the Reds to promotion via the playoffs, while he also bagged the JPT Trophy making it a Wembley double.

The decision to delay the appointment while Heckingbottom guided the club to these achievements should not be underestimated. It was a sound decision made between both club and Heckingbottom, and allowed him to focus fully on guiding his team to promotion.

'Hecky' was appointed on a permanent basis before the new season kicked off, and the Reds are now seeing the benefit of the relationship between the board and manager, with the club flying high in the Championship table.

Barnsley fans, what do you think? Would you agree with this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!