Barnsley's season officially came to an end with a comfortable defeat at The Hawthorns this afternoon.
A pair of West Bromwich Albion goals in either half saw off a makeshift Barnsley side here in the West Midlands.
The Baggies dominated the opening 45, as expected, but they didn't cause the Reds too much concern in the early stages.
Some persistent wing-play down the right flank saw Matt Phillips and Darnell Furlong testing the Barnsley backline here and there, but both Jason Sraha and Jasper Moon, respectively, were on-hand to clear any potential danger.
Defender Dara O'Shea bulleted a near post header over the crossbar from an Adam Reach inswinging corner kick, before Reach himself volleyed over the bar at the far post.
Reds forays forward were few and far between, but despite the home side looking the more likely to take the lead, it was difficult to see where such a goal was coming from.
But then the officials made a decision that raised eyebrows to say the least, as Clarke Oduor was adjudged to have tripped Jayson Molumby inside the box. It looked - to this reporter, at least - a perfectly-timed tackle by the Barnsley wing-back.
Referee Leigh Doughty awarded a penalty, and up stepped Karlan Grant to send Jack Walton the wrong way, giving the hosts a fortunate lead.
But West Brom quickly doubled it, with Reach lobbing the outcoming Walton from the edge of the box, following a routine kick from the Albion 'keeper David Button.
HALF-TIME: WBA 2-0 Barnsley
The Reds saw Cauley Woodrow test Button early in the second half, before Will Hondermarck fizzed a low cross in that only just evaded Aiden Marsh who was sliding in towards the penalty spot.
But Albion made it 3-0 six minutes into the second period as with the Reds' six yard box packed, trying to defend a low ball into the centre, the ball was slipped onto the left and an unmarked Matt Clarke was there to slot home from eight yards at Walton's near post.
Three became four just a few minutes later as Grant nipped between the centre backs to finish coolly beyond the onrushing Walton, inside the near post once more.
Callum Styles had been bright enough for the Reds and he sent a tame effort straight at the goalkeeper after linking nicely with Marsh on the edge of the West Brom box.
The referee gave Albion a second penalty when Liam Kitching made a clumsy tackle just inside the box, but Walton got a strong hand to divert the spot-kick behind, and thus deny Grant a hat-trick.
The lively Grady Diangana blasted a low effort just wide, shooting across Walton as the West Midlanders looked to make the most of their final game of the season, against a patched-up Reds side who were struggling with the basics by this stage.
A late opening saw substitute Victor Adeboyejo blast a close-range effort well clear of the bar when he had better options to the left of him.
Barnsley supporters, over 600 of them, were in full voice all afternoon at The Hawthorns. Their backing this season as a whole, deserved much more than they often witnessed on the road.
And so the whistle blew on this game - another Reds defeat - and called time on a miserable campaign for all concerned with Barnsley Football Club.
FULL-TIME: WBA 4-0 Barnsley
Walton, Hondermarck (Benson), Moon, Sraha, Kitching, Oduor (Bremang), Helliwell, Wolfe, Styles, Marsh, Woodrow (c) (Adeboyejo).
Unused: Flavell, Ariely, Christie-Davies, Cole.
