SKIPPERING Barnsley to play-off success at the Millennium Stadium understandably ranks as the best moment of Paul Reid's career.

But when it comes to his greatest achievement, few would be able to top keeping Scunthorpe United in the Championship.

Unlike five years ago, after Cardiff, there will be no open top bus tour, no trophy to parade should the 29-year-old centre-back fulfil his season's ambition.

But the long-term repercussions of second tier survival would be savoured as much as any medal.

Since arriving at Glanford Park in January, Reid has only experienced a fight against relegation from the bottom three looking up.

Victory against his old club tonight won't change the former, but it could, Crystal Palace's result permitting, end a three-month long association with life in the drop zone.

Where the gap between the Iron and the Eagles was once seven points, it now reads one.

So though Reid is happy to reminisce and catch up with friends upon his return to Oakwell, his primary aim is to lift United up another rung on the Championship ladder – a situation he regards a 'massive incentive'.

"It would be a great psychological boost to get out of the bottom three," the centre-back told the Telegraph.

"But while I don't know what the other players or staff think, as long as we're out of it come the end of the season, I really don't care when it happens.

"Anything can happen between now and that last game, as long as that's the outcome.

"I've not been back to play against Barnsley since I left, but I made some very good friends there, ones I still keep in touch with.

"In the end I had to leave to get more first team football after falling out with the manager (Simon Davey), but that definitely hasn't soured my memories of the place. I had three fantastic years there.

"The play-off final experience was absolutely fantastic.

"Obviously I enjoyed it at the time, but it's only now, looking back, you realise how good it was.

"It's too easy to take things for granted. You think 'we're in the semi-final, we're in the final, great' etc. But you might never get the chance to do that again.

"We had such a great team spirit at the time. It wasn't just colleagues, it was actual friends playing alongside me as well, which made it all the more sweeter.

"It's something my family will never forget and I won't either.

"It'll be nice to see a few old faces, but hopefully we can come away with three points and then I'll get to chat to people after the game."

Reid says he is 'available for selection' tonight, 10 days after suffering a rib injury in the 2-0 defeat at Bristol City.

But while he is sure to be back in the squad, he accepts he has a fight on his hands to say the same about the starting line-up, given the Iron's defensive dominance during Saturday's victory against Swansea.

Although there is still work to be done, United have made the rest of the division sit up and take notice of their willingness to fight on the back of recent results at Glanford Park.

Inside the dressing room, Reid insists that has never been an issue.

"We all believed we had enough to make a fight of it," continued the Cumbrian.

"I wouldn't have come here if I didn't think we had a genuine chance of finishing outside of the bottom three.

"I came here for Championship football. I wasn't going to let it slip away easily and the rest of the lads think that as well.

"It's very easy in interviews to say 'yes, we believe' or 'yes, we think we can get out of it'.

"We actually really do believe it and the results we've produced at home in the last two weeks have endorsed that.

"It's made a few other people sit up and take notice and think it's not over yet."

Climbing above Palace is Scunthorpe's next target, but the relegation picture includes many more teams than just the present bottom four or five, according to Reid.

Tonight's opponents are nine points above the Iron, but not until any side nears the magical 50-point mark can they consider themselves out of the dogfight.

"I don't think they can say they're safe," said Reid of the Tykes.

"I don't think 43 points will be enough to get away from relegation, so they've still got work to do.

"They've got 11 games left and you'd imagine they'll pick up points but they can't rest on their laurels. They'll know that.

"It's difficult to draw a line to say who's in the battle with us because there will be a surprise.

"There's usually a team that freefalls during the last 10 games, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone really unexpected got sucked into there.

"That's why it's important we take advantage at every game, especially at home, where we seem to be putting a decent little run together.

"We've taken 10 points out of 12 which is a great return after only winning once previously all season here.

"At the end of the day, we've got to pick up the points wherever we can and make sure we've got enough come the end of the season. That's the be all and end all."