Barnsley were beaten at home in the league for the first time this season as they lost 2-0 against Port Vale following a very disappointing performance on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors were the better side and scored midway through the second half then added another late on against a Reds outfit who did not have a shot on target and suffered a third straight defeat in all competitions without scoring.
Barnsley have slipped down to eighth in the League One table.
Conor Hourihane kept an unchanged team from the previous league game, a 1-0 loss at Blackpool a week earlier which was followed by a 6-0 EFL Cup defeat to Brighton in midweek.
The Reds were poor in the opening 15 minutes but then dominated possession for the remainder of the first half without creating any chances from open play.
Josh Earl missed a good chance when he headed wide unmarked a few yards out from a Luca Connell corner on the right.
Jaheim Headley then saw a shot from the left of the box tipped over by Murphy Cooper after a good move down the left involving Jordan Shipley and ex-Red Devante Cole.
Vale could have scored on the counter-attack when, after good play by Dajaune Brown, Shipley overhit a pass that would have put Jordan Gabriel clean through and Cooper intercepted.
In the second half, David McGoldrick – who moved up front with Davis Keillor-Dunn going onto the left wing – shot across goal from the right of the box after a nice pass from Connell.
Caylan Vickers swapped passes with Keillor-Dunn before hitting a 15-yard shot that went just wide of the left post. Nathanael Ogbeta then left a crossfield pass which went to Gabriel whose shot from just inside the box was straight at Cooper.
Cooper should have claimed a low cross from the left but left it and had to deny Brown twice in a scramble in the box before Ben Garrity shot over.
Vale deservedly took the lead on 64 minutes when Brown brought down a lofted pass and burst into the box from the left then crossed low for Gabriel to tap in almost on the line.
Cole could have made it 2-0 but could only touch the ball into Cooper’s arms on the volley after a long throw was headed on. He then went clean through after Barnsley lost the ball but Cooper made a fine save diving to his right.
The second goal did arrive on 90 minutes when, after Connell lost the ball in midfield, it was worked to substitute Ryan Croasdale to fire into the bottom left corner from 20 yards.
Barnsley (4-2-3-1): Cooper; Watson, Shepherd, Earl, Ogbeta; Bland (Russell 78mins), Connell; Vickers (Farrugia 65mins), Phillips, McGoldrick; Keillor-Dunn (Cleary 65).
Unused: Flavell, de Gevigney, Rooney, Yoganathan.
Yellow cards: Bland.
Port Vale (3-5-2): Gauci; Debrah, Humphreys, C Hall; Gabriel (Heneghan 85mins), Byers, Shipley (Croasdale 71), Garrity, Headley; Cole, Brown (G Hall 71).
Unused: Marosi, Curtis, Paton, Faal.
Yellow cards: Shipley, Gabriel.
Goals: Gabriel 64, Croasdale 90.
