Barnsley’s miserable home season finished with a 2-1 defeat at home to relegated Shrewsbury Town.

The visitors – who hadn’t won in 15 and were guaranteed to finish last – led 1-0 at half-time then doubled the advantage midway through the second half.

Jon Russell replied then but the hosts could not level and stayed 12th in the table.

The Reds collected 26 points from their 23 home games this season – with six wins – which is understood to be the lowest points tally in the third tier in their history.

They have won one of their last 11 and collected 16 points from the last 20 games.

Jonathan Bland – who is originally from Shrewsbury – replaced the injured Fabio Jalo in the starting line-up in the only change from Monday’s draw with Peterborough. Striker Kieran Graham, 17, was on the bench for the first time in a league game.

Bland played at right-back with Dexter Lembikisa ahead of him on the right wing and Barry Cotter on the left wing.

The game began quietly but Shrewsbury thought they had taken the lead on 12 minutes when Mal Benning volleyed home a right-wing cross but the flag was up for offside.

They scored six minutes later when Toto Nsiala’s excellent crossfield pass picked out Luca Hoole who drove into the box past Josh Earl and crossed low for Jon Marquis to score from close range.

Marc Roberts shot over from just inside the box after a scramble following a Cotter long throw then Adam Phillips was denied by goalkeeper Jamal Blackman a few yards out at a tight angle from a Luca Connell cross. Blackman also easily saved a Mael de Gevigney header from Davis Keillor-Dunn’s right-wing free-kick.

Shrewsbury could have doubled their lead after easily playing through the Reds but George Lloyd passed in the box when he could have shot and ex-Red Harrison Biggins was blocked off by Bland amid half-hearted claims for a penalty.

Connell then clipped the crossbar with a 25-yard strike after a clever Keillor-Dunn dummy and felt Blackman had touched it but a goal kick was given.

Cotter wanted a penalty after contact from Hoole in the box but the referee told him to get up. He was then picked out by an excellent Connell pass on the left of the box but his powerful shot was clawed away by Blackman.

Max Watters came on for Lembikisa at the break and almost levelled within seconds but headed wide from a Cotter cross.

He then missed a much better chance as, after de Gevigney released Cotter down the right and he found Phillips whose shot was parried into the air, Watters headed backwards with the goal gaping a few yards.

Home goalkeeper Joe Gauci made an outstanding one-handed save to deny a Lloyd volley from a corner but the referee had given a foul anyway. Gauci denied Lloyd again from inside the box after a counter-attack led by Marquis.

Jon Russell shot straight at Blackman from 20 yards but it was the visitors who scored again. After Barnsley cleared a corner, Hoole passed to the unmarked Callum Stewart on the right of the box and he crossed for Marquis to backheel in.

Russell pulled one back on 80 minutes with a shot into the bottom left corner from about 12 yards after a cross from the left not cleared properly. It was his tenth of the season.

Keillor-Dunn curled a free-kick over and substitute Kelechi Nwakali shot well wide from 25 yards.

Barnsley (4-3-3): Gauci; Lembikisa (Watters HT), de Gevigney, Roberts, Earl; Bland, Connell (Nwakali 64), Russell; Phillips, Keillor-Dunn, Cotter.

Unused: Flavell, Barratt, Graham, Rodrigues, McCarthy.

Goals: Russell 80.

Shrewsbury (3–41-2): Blackman; Feeney, Nsiala, Nurse (Pierre 90+2); Hoole, Biggins, Gilliead, Benning; Stewart (Perry 80), Marquis, Lloyd (Oliver 83).

Unused: Young, Oliver, Pierre, Dinanga, Loughran, England.

Yellow cards: Nurse.

Goals: Marquis 18, 67.