Barnsley became the first side in 21 matches to beat Brentford in the Championship and boss Valerien Ismael credited an FA Cup tie with Chelsea for giving his side extra confidence.

The Reds were edged out 1-0 by the Premier League side on Thursday, but won many plaudits for their display. They followed that up with a 2-0 win at Brentford on Sunday, becoming the first side since October to beat the Bees in the league.

It was a first victory of 2021 for Barnsley, who joined Rovers on 39 points in the process, but their three defeats had come against Norwich City, Swansea City and Watford.

They were impressive in defeat at Ewood Park in November, and Ismael says confidence and belief is high at Oakwell ahead of Rovers’ visit.

He said: “We won but we have only three points.

“For a few weeks we’ve performed well but not got the result, but all the time against the top sides like Norwich and Watford we have been very close.

“The game against Chelsea gave us a lot of confidence because if you play like that against them you can compete against any side in the league.”

Barnsley are now in action every three, or four days, like Rovers, until the international break which follows the March 20 fixtures.

And Ismael wants to see their performance level remain high, but rewarded with points.

“This win means a lot because we said we needed to make the next step,” he added.

“How good you play is all very well but in football you need a result. It is not enough to perform against them, just be there and lose the game.

“In this division you can lose to anyone and win against anyone but you have to stay focused. We will enjoy it but the next game comes quickly.

“We have a tough schedule until the end of February, but Chelsea was a game-changer in terms of our mindset.

“Since I have been trainer here it was the best week. We have a way to play football and this was the result of three months’ work. Everyone knows the principle, what we have to do and the game-plan and it has given us more confidence.”