Barnsley fell to a fourth straight defeat in their penultimate Sky Bet Championship fixture of the season.
A Daniel Johnson brace and a fine solo effort from Emil Riis Jakobsen helped Preston North End to three points here at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon.
In what was a much-changed starting XI fielded by interim head coach, Martin Devaney, the Reds were second best in the opening stages, and debutant central defender Jason Sraha had to be alert on a number of occasions to deny the visitors.
But the young-looking Reds took the lead against the run of play as Barnsley-born forward Aiden Marsh was on-hand inside the box to slam home a left-footed strike after great initial play on the right wing by Victor Adeboyejo.
That lead lasted just five minutes, however, as Johnson struck a low effort into the opposite corner of Jack Walton's goal from the left edge of the box.
Captain for the day, Carlton Morris, took on a shot, on the half-turn which stung the palms of Preston 'keeper Daniel Iversen before Ben Whiteman rattled the Barnsley crossbar in response.
Walton then had to be smart in stoppage time at the end of the first half to deny Patrick Bauer's diverted header, a fine reaction save down low at his near post.
HALF-TIME: Barnsley 1-1 PNE
Early in the second half the visitors took a lead which their play had warranted when Johnson scored his sixth goal in five appearances against the Reds, and what a wonderful goal it was.
The former Aston Villa man bent a powerful effort right into the top left-hand corner of Walton's net, after Barnsley players failed to close him down, 20 yards out.
Riis Jakobsen would add gloss to the finish, but not before he was denied one-on-one by Walton, who'd had a fine afternoon on a personal level.
The Danish striker did get it right soon after when he took the ball around Walton on this occasion before sliding into an empty net, albeit from the most acute of angles.
Barnsley saw all of Callum Styles, Matty Wolfe and Morris try their luck in the dying stages, but as has proven the case over the course of the season, the Reds' inability to finish was more than evident.
Defeat then, in our final Oakwell clash of this disappointing campaign.
FULL-TIME: Barnsley 1-3 PNE
Walton, Hondermarck (Helliwell), Kitching, Moon, Sraha, Styles, Wolfe, Palmer (Oduor), Morris, Adeboyejo, Marsh (Woodrow).
Unused: Flavell (GK), Bremang, Christie-Davies, Ariely.
