IT was a five star performance for Barnsley as they dismantled Luton Town from start to finish in a thrilling and well-deserved victory at Oakwell on Saturday.
Reyes Cleary, Patrick Kelly and Luca Connell put Barnsley 3-0 up at half-time before Tennai Watson and Davis Keillor-Dunn put the game to bed in the second half.
Cleary opened the scoring in the seventh minute, chipping the ball over the helpless Josh Keeley in the Hatters' goal.
Kelly doubled Barnsley's lead in the 35th minute, tapping in from close range before Luca Connell made it 3-0 with a fantastic free-kick from 20 yards on the stroke of half-time.
The hosts could have gone in at the break even further ahead after Vimal Yoganathan hit the woodwork twice.
Watson made it four after he bundled the ball home in the 62nd minute before Keillor-Dunn made it 5-0 with a lovely finish in the 75th.
The last time Barnsley faced Luton in the league, they were heading in opposite directions.
The Reds, managed by Poya Asbaghi, extended their winless runs to 13 games as they fell to a 2-1 defeat.
That side included Carlton Morris, who would lead the Hatters to promotion the following season, and Mads Andersen who was part of the Luton team that were battered on Saturday.
Since then, Luton have been in the top division and Barnsley have languished in League One.
For too long, Barnsley has been somewhat of a feeder club to Luton - they've been able to handpick some of their best players and use them to their advantage.
The tide may finally be turning.
Finally a clean sheet
The Reds have not kept a clean sheet at Oakwell since a 0-0 draw against Burton Albion back in February.
Donovan Pines started that game - that's how long it's been.
But they were well worth their clean sheet in this game.
Both Jack Shepherd and Marc Roberts were fantastic throughout.
It was Roberts who denied the prolific striker Nakhi Wells at 1-0 when he looked certain to score, only to see the centre-back put in a last-ditch tackle.
Earl's return - barring a couple of silly mistakes - was a positive one and Watson on the right was as reliable as ever.
Murphy Cooper didn't have much to do throughout the game but commanded his box well when he was needed.
But it's not just the defence that deserves the praise.
To a man, every single Barnsley player on that pitch worked their socks off and earned the clean sheet.
It's something the players will be happy to have finally gotten off their backs and it's something to build on moving forward.
Cleary fantastic... again
Ever since *that* goal against Bradford, Reyes Cleary has been fantastic.
It took the winger a while to cement his place in Barnsley's first team but he's not looked back since.
He's powerful, fast and he's got a great end product.
He gets fans on their feet.
There's an air of the 'Adam Hammill' about him and that's always going to excite fans.
His chip for the first goal was sublime and he added to it with an assist - something he admits he's happy with himself.
Luton manager Jack Wilshere said he couldn't have put a better one-v-one defender in Isaiah Jones against Cleary but it didn't stop him.
Hourihane said that the Reds are now playing to his strengths and if they can continue to do so, the sky really is the limit for him.
He's still only 21.
That's so easy to forget.
He plays with a real freedom and it's refreshing to see.
DKD more than just a goalscorer
Keillor-Dunn is undoubtedly one of the best players in the division.
He's known for what he does best, scoring goals.
But he brings so much more than that to this Barnsley team.
He played a delightful chipped pass over the Luton defence to find Cleary for the Barnsley opener but he could have had another assist just minutes earlier.
He played through Vimal Yoganathan whose strike crashed off the crossbar.
He dropped back into midfield on a number of occasions, dictating play alongside Luca Connell.
He's clearly a leader on the pitch and someone Barnsley rely on for obvious reasons.
But when he's got excellent players such as Cleary, Yoganathan and Kelly around him he's always going to shine.
He got his well-deserved goal and is still the joint-top scorer in the league.
Earl returns while Phillips and MDG on bench
When the line-ups were announced for the previous League One fixture against Doncaster Rovers, it's fair to say there were a few eyebrow-raisers.
Illness had swept through the camp and it led to top goalscorer Davis Keillor-Dunn dropping to the bench while Jake Rooney started at left-back.
Usual regulars Josh Earl and Adam Phillips weren't in the squad through injury and the lack of squad depth in Barnsley's ranks was clear.
But both have now returned, with Earl starting from the off and Phillips on the bench, and the squad looks much stronger.
Hourihane has used just 20 different players in League One this season, the joint-fewest of any side, whereas Luton have used 30 -the most in the division.
Only the long-term injured Fabio Jalo missed this game and so the bench looked as strong as it had all season.
If they're to continue to push up the table towards Hourihane's aim of at least the play-offs, they must remain injury free.
After a stop-start season so far - owing to cup competitions and games being postponed due to international breaks - the next few months will be relentless.
Fringe players will be incredibly important.
Players like Caylan Vickers who started the season so well will have a big part to play moving forward.
Two youngest coaches in League One
At 34 years old, you'd expect Conor Hourihane to be the youngest head coach in the division - but that's not the case.
Luton's Jack Wilshire is just 33.
Both coaches have players in their squad older than them and it's not something you see so often, especially in this day and age.
But there's a clear shift in opinions on younger managers in the lower leagues.
Hourihane said pre-match he's a big advocate for young coaches and both clubs are certainly at the forefront.
It's clear what their styles are - attacking, attractive football.
And that's what was on display on Saturday afternoon, at least from Barnsley's point of view.
Yoganathan played out wide when Barnsley had the ball and was incredibly calm and created so many chances.
He won't get the headlines Cleary and DKD will but it was without a doubt his best performance in a Barnsley shirt.
It was exciting watching the players knock the ball about.
There's always that feeling that Barnsley play better against better opposition.
Whether that's because they raise their game or they're facing a team that aren't sticking 11 men behind the ball I'm not sure, but they showed why they should be considered one of the best in the league during this game.
