A goal in either half was enough to see the Reds to victory in their first friendly clash of pre-season.
Exactly a month since that famous evening in Brentford, the Reds returned to match action at a blustery Alexandra Stadium.
Fielding separate XI's in both halves of football, Gerhard Struber will have been pleased with the afternoon's work straight off the back of a gruelling week-long training camp at St. George's Park.
It was a more experienced lineup that began the game, and Barnsley showed their class, particularly in the opening 10 minutes.
In fact, the game was just five minutes old when Mads Andersen turned home a Callum Styles corner from close range to give the Reds the lead.
Soon after the opener, another Styles corner reached an unmarked Jacob Brown at the far post but the latter's volley whistled a yard wide of goal.
The opposition began to grow into proceedings, finding bits of space on the flanks but Jack Walton was never called upon.
It ought to have been 2-0 on the half-hour mark when an Alex Mowatt ball over the top found Patrick Schmidt who from just inside the box, rattled a shot off the bottom of the left-hand post.
HALF-TIME: Crewe 0-1 Reds
With a full 11 substitutions made at the break, the second half was a less attractive showing, but again, the Reds seemed to be in control for the most part.
George Miller, operating in a right-wing-back role was seeing a lot of the ball and he drove towards the box on 52 minutes before seeing a low shot deflected a few inches beyond the post.
On the opposite side, also in an unaccustomed wing-back role was Victor Adeboyejo and he tried his own luck, coming inside and from 35 yards he stung the 'keeper's hands with a blistering effort.
Portuguese forward Elliot Simoes skipped towards goal just past the hour-mark before sending a powerful effort low and just wide, before Conor Chaplin added the Reds' second goal of the match.
Some good build-up play down the left with Adeboyejo, Marcel Ritzmaier and Clarke Oduor ended with the latter's inch-perfect cross finding Chaplin inside the box whose deft header beat the 'keeper, looping into the far corner.
It was a decent run-out for the boys, with each player enjoying 45 minutes of football and we'll have a highlights package for Reds supporters as soon as possible.
FULL-TIME: Crewe 0-2 Reds
FIRST HALF: Walton (GK), Styles, J.Williams, Andersen, Sollbauer, Ludewig, Thomas, Mowatt, Schmidt, Brown, Woodrow.
SECOND HALF: Collins (GK), Adeboyejo, Oduor, Halme, Moon, Miller, Ritzmaier, Wolfe, Chaplin, Frieser, Simoes.