Barnsley owner Patrick Cryne has demanded a top-half finish in the Championship next season from manager Simon Davey after two seasons of narrowly avoiding relegation.

The Tykes avoided the drop on the penultimate day of the last campaign with victory over Charlton, their final points tally representing an improvement on the previous season.

They also captured the imagination of English fans by beating both Liverpool and Chelsea on their run to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they ultimately lost to Cardiff City.

Cryne is determined to maintain the steady progression and establish the Reds as a competitive second-tier side.

"What we would say to Simon this time is that our objective is to be in the top half," he told the Sheffield Star.

"If we push to be in the top half, which we were for most of the early part of the season, then that would be a good achievement.

"By the time you strike the critical part of the season, after Christmas, if you are in touch at that point you can really have a go.

"Of course we want to be in the play-offs, but our reality is to press to be in the top half."

TeamTalk / Eurosport