BURNLEY'S race for promotion might have been reborn at Vicarage Road on Wednesday night, but in comparison to the revitalisation of Barnsley it is chicken feed.

Little more than two months ago the Tykes and Stockport County were adrift and looking prime candidates for relegation from Division One, but while Carlton Palmer has failed to turn the Hatters around, Oakwell's new supremo Steve Parkin has produced a run of results that are little short of a miracle.

Now comfortably out of the relegation places, the Tykes have not lost for 11 League matches and their Welsh international wing-back Darren Barnard lays the credit for the renaissance firmly at the feet of former Rochdale manager Parkin.

"I think the new manager has had a huge influence on the side and he has got us fighting for our lives," said Barnard.

"Let's face it we had to because when he came in we were right in the mire but we have turned things around."

The new fighting spirit was shown at Fratton Park last Saturday when Barnsley trailed throughout the match before gaining a 4-4 draw with in-form striker Mike Sheron scoring with virtually the last kick of the game.

"Portsmouth perhaps illustrates how far we have come," said Barnard. "If we had been in that situation before Steve arrived we would have been dead and buried but we came back from 4-2 down with five minutes to go and got a point.

"That was a huge morale booster for us, but that is the way we have been going.

"We have gained a few wins, but even more importantly we have not been beaten for a while and that lifts the confidence of the players.

"We definitely go into the game against Burnley looking for three points because, while we are out of the relegation zone, we know that we are far from safe and we need a few more wins to be safe."

At 30 Barnard is an elder statesman in a Barnsley side that has it's share of young talent, but the blend is a good one according to the former Chelsea player.

"When you look at players like Chris Barker and Chris Morgan you think how young they are, but both have played well over 100 games - Chris Morgan probably 200," said Barnard.

"We also have Chris Lumsdon, who we bought from Sunderland, doing well in midfield and David Mulligan at right-back is showing he is a strong player and their youthful enthusiasm has had a part to play in our getting out of the mess we were in."

And Barnard has another big date after facing the Clarets next week having been called into the Welsh squad for their home friendly against World Cup favourites Argentina.

"It's always nice to get the call and you always want to pit yourself against the best, and they don't come at a much higher standard than Argentina," he enthused.

"I am just hoping that when it comes to it I am picked for the game."