Barnsley won 2-1 at home to Exeter City amid protests against the Reds’ ownership which saw tennis balls thrown onto the pitch.
The hosts raced into a 2-0 lead on 16 minutes with goals from David McGoldrick and Vimal Yoganathan then home fans then threw tennis balls in protest at the owners, with various chants such as ‘Barnsley FC is in the wrong hands.’
The visitors pulled one back on 75 minutes but the Reds held on to win and moved up a place to 12th, nine points off the top six and 11 clear of the relegation zone.
Conor Hourihane made three changes from the side that lost to Wycombe on Tuesday. Tom Bradshaw, Jack Shepherd and Yognathan came in for Scott Banks, Jono Bland and Nathanael Ogbeta. The Reds used a back four out of possession, with Shepherd at left-back, but switched to a back three when they had the ball.
Barnsley took the lead in the seventh minute when, after Bradshaw won a header, Reyes Cleary slipped McGoldrick through in the box and he dinked the ball over the goalkeeper.
The second goal saw McGoldrick turn provider as his excellent cross from the left was perfectly headed into the top right corner by Yoganathan about 15 yards out.
After a corner was cleared, a clever Cleary pass put Corey O’Keeffe into space on the left and his powerful shot from a tight angle was beaten away by goalkeeper Joe Whitworth.
Exeter’s Ethan Brierley shot over from 25 yards after a nice touch by ex-Red Jack Aitchison but they barely threatened in a half Barnsley controlled.
Shepherd came off injured early in the second half with Ogbeta replacing him.
Bradshaw latched onto a long ball and went clean through but had the shot saved as the referee gave a free-kick against him for a foul.
Exeter’s Jayden Wareham headed a half chance well over then, at the other end, Mael de Gevigney headed a Luca Connell corner just wide.
Wareham pulled one back when substitute Josh Magennis beat de Gevigney in the air to head down a long ball and, as Eoghan O’Connell slipped, Wareham fired in the visitors’ first shot on target from close range.
Wareham then headed over after Magennis flicked on a long throw and just missed a Niskanen cross.
Barnsley (4-4-2): Goodman; O’Keeffe, de Gevigney, O’Connell, Shepherd (Ogbeta 51mins), Phillips (Watson 89), Connell, Yoganathan, Cleary (Banks 73), Bradshaw (Bland 73), McGoldrick. Unused: Flavell, Gent, Lennon.
Yellow cards: Shepherd.
Goals: McGoldrick 7, Yoganathan 16.
Exeter (3-4-2-1): Whitworth; Sweeney, Woodhouse, Rydel (Cummins HT); Niskanen, McMillan (Magennis 71), Brierley, Oakes; Aitchison (Cox 83), Mendes Gomes (Cole 63); Wareham.
Subs: Bycroft, McDonald, Tutierov.
Yellow cards: Rydel.
Goals: Wareham 75.
Referee: Ross Joyce. (Cleveland)
Attendance: 9,706 (347 away fans).
