Barnsley suffered their first defeat of the season as they were beaten 2-0 at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.
The hosts were 1-0 up after a first half they dominated then, after the Reds missed chances to level, they added a second.
Overall, the Reds were clearly second best as their defence badly struggled and they could have conceded several more goals.
The team was unchanged from the win Peterborough on Tuesday. Vimal Yoganathan returned from suspension to replace Leo Farrell on the bench but Mael de Gevigney was not ready after injury.
Wimbledon had the first shot on target on 17 minutes when, after Josh Earl headed out a cross, Myles Hippolyte’s effort from just inside the box was tipped out of the top left corner by Murphy Cooper.
The same player then sent a shot into the ground and just wide of the top right corner after meeting a right-wing cross as the hosts had a period of dominance.
Barnsley looked certain to take the lead when a long pass by Earl released Nathanel Ogbeta in the box and he crossed low for David McGoldrick a few yards out but goalkeeper Nathan Bishop denied him with a remarkable full-length stop.
Hippolyte had his third chance of the game soon after but was denied by Cooper just beating him to a loose ball. Seconds later, a cross from the right was deflected high into the air and, after Earl missed it, Matty Stevens tapped in from a few yards out.
Barnsley’s Patrick Kelly had a long-range shot easily saved soon after.
It could easily have been 2-0 when Stevens received the ball in the box and had one shot blocked then another saved by Cooper. Stevens missed an even better chance when a simple through ball put him one-on-one with Cooper, amid calls for offside, but he shot wide.
Davis Keillor-Dunn saw a shot in the box well-blocked by a defender but Barnsley were very lucky to go into half-time just one goal down.
In the second half, Wimbledon’s Riley Harbottle shot over from inside the box after meeting a low cross from the right.
The Reds nearly levelled when Adam Phillips was put clean through by a fine Luca Connell pass but hesitated in the box then pulled the ball back to Kelly who shot wide of the bottom left corner when sliding in at close range.
They came even closer midway through the first half when Caylan Vickers played Keillor-Dunn through on the left of the box and his shot was tipped away by Bishop.
The hosts’ second goal saw Alistair Smith’s through ball split the Reds’ defence and put substitute Antwoine Hackford clean through and he beat Murphy.
McGoldrick almost pulled one back but his overhead kick hit the post.
Home substitute Omar Bugiel was put clean through on the left but denied one-on-one by Cooper.
Keillor-Dunn then saw a shot from a tight angle on the right saved by Bishop.
Bugiel then hit the post with a curling 15-yard shot after Earl headed a cross to him. Hackford got the better of Earl to go clean through but Cooper again made a one-on-one save. Keillor-Dunn then saw an effort blocked near the line at the other end.
Barnsley (4-3-3): Cooper; Watson (Bland 77mins), Shepherd, Earl, Ogbeta (Farrugia 62); Phillips, Connell (Russell 73), Kelly (Yoganathan 62); Vickers, McGoldrick (Cleary 73), Keillor-Dunn.
Unused: Flavell, Barratt.
Yellow cards: Earl.
Wimbledon (3-5-2): Bishop; Johnson, Ogundere, Harbottle; Asiimwe, Smith, Reeves, Hippolyte (Maycock 85mins), Seddon; Browne (Hackford 65mins), Stevens (Bugiel 65).
Unused: McDonnell, Orsi, Bauer, Sasu.
Yellow cards: Ogundere.
Goal: Stevens 29, Hackford 70.
