Barnsley made it four consecutive wins as they eased to a 2-0 victory over Stoke City at Oakwell on Wednesday evening.
Callum Styles’ stunning early goal was added to by Daryl Dike’s late finish as the Reds climbed to eighth in the Sky Bet Championship table.
After making a bright start, it took just nine minutes for Barnsley to make the breakthrough when Styles fired a blistering strike from 25-yards that whistled unerringly into Angus Gunn’s far corner.
A Goal of the Month if not Goal of the Season contender from the Bury Baggio.
Stoke looked to hit back immediately and had a couple of half-chances to level from corners, but John Obi Mikel skewed his efforts off target on both occasions.
In an end-to-end encounter, the Reds continued to carve out their own opportunities and when Carlton Morris held off Danny Batth, he teed up Romal Palmer who saw his low shot gathered by Gunn.
Just after the half hour mark, Barnsley had the ball in the back of the net once more, but Dominik Frieser was adjudged to be offside as he deftly lobbed it over the Potters’ ‘keeper.
HALF-TIME: Barnsley 1-0 Stoke City
At the midway point of an uneventful second half, Aapo Halme was introduced for his first minutes since our 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in December as Valérien Ismaël looked to add more steel to his midfield.
Barnsley still posed a greater threat and fellow substitutes, Victor Adeboyejo and Dike, combined well in the area but the former was unable to get his shot away before a Stoke defender hacked clear.
With time ticking away, Adeboyejo picked out Conor Chaplin who in turn played a magnificent pass through to Dike to slot home his first goal for the Reds and seal all three points.
FULL-TIME: Barnsley 2-0 Stoke City
Collins, Sibbick (Sollbauer), Helik, Andersen, Brittain, Palmer (Halme), Mowatt (c), Styles, Frieser (Adeboyejo), Woodrow (Chaplin), Morris (Dike).
Unused: Walton, J Williams, Oduor, Kane.
