BARNSLEY head coach Michael Duff praised his side after they beat Port Vale 3-1 away from home last night.
Luca Connell put the Reds 1-0 up inside 30 seconds before Vale equalised.
Kitching regained Barnsley’s lead before Adam Phillips scored in the second half to seal the victory.
Duff said: “Grittiness, togetherness, determination, spirit, fight and then little bits of quality.
“No one will remember this game at the end of the season but it’s just as important as winning at Sheffield Wednesday.
“I thought we were excellent. It was a horrible game.
“You wouldn’t want to play on that pitch every week but you have to play the way the pitch tells you to play.
“Bobby Thomas set the tone with a header in the first five seconds and Luca scored.
“But then we couldn’t get our shape right.
“We conceded from a second phase set play again.
“We could feel it coming and we were going to change shape after the corner.
“But then we showed the resilience we have been showing in recent weeks.”