Barnsley are five points clear of the teams outside the Championship's top six after a 2-0 home win over Middlesbrough.
Alex Mowatt opened the scoring direct from a corner just after the hour then Daryl Dike doubled the lead.
The win means Barnsley stay fifth, and are now five points clear of Reading who lost last night at Watford and have dropped out of the play-off places.
The first hour was very poor from both sides but the Reds created several chances in the final half hour and deserved their win.
Valerien Ismael made one change from the side that won at Luton Town on Monday, with Dominik Frieser coming in for Victor Adeboyejo.
The hosts started well with Daryl Dike blasting over from 15 yards out on the left of the box but Boro should have taken the lead when Toby Sibbick's poor header did not reach Brad Collins but George Saville could only nod tamely into the goalkeeper's arms.
That was the only real chance of a low-quality first half in which both teams resorted to pumping long, unsuccessful balls and, while the hosts had more shots and put together a couple of decent moves, they lacked the killer final touch in the attacking areas.
Woodrow fired a bouncing ball over from the edge of the box then Mowatt shot high from further out. The Reds then had their first shot on target in the 37th minute when Michal Helik's 15-yard effort – following a Frieser throw and Woodrow lay-off – was deflected and easily held by Marcus Bettinelli diving to his left.
Carlton Morris replaced Frieser at half-time then, just before the hour-mark, Ismael brought on Aapo Halme and Conor Chaplin for Romal Palmer and Woodrow.
Middlesbrough's Grant Hall headed straight at Collins from a difficult position after meeting a Paddy McNair cross.
The opener came on 62 minutes when Mowatt's right-wing corner floated past Bettinelli at the near post and into the net. It was the captain's eighth goal of the season.
Barnsley felt the goalkeeper should have been sent off soon after when he ran out of his box and clattered Dike but the referee gave nothing.
Another Mowatt set piece, this time a left-wing free-kick, almost floated all the way in but Bettinelli sprang to his left to make a good save then easily kept out a deflected Callum Styles effort when the ball had been recycled.
The second goal arrived on 76 minutes. Mowatt's shot from outside the box bounced into the ground and looped perfectly for Morris but his close-range header was kept out from point blank range by Bettinelli then the ball was crossed back in by Brittain for Dike to head home from close range.
Barnsley (3-4-3): Collins; Sibbick, Helik, Andersen; Brittain, Mowatt, Palmer (Halme 57mins), Styles; Frieser (Morris HT), Dike, Woodrow (Chaplin 57). Unused: Walton, Sollbauer, J Williams, Moon, Adeboyejo, Oduor. Yellow cards: Mowatt. Goals: Mowatt 62, Dike 76.
Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1): Bettinelli; Fisher, Hall, McNair, Bola (Johnson 80mins); Howson, Saville; Spence (Coulson 80), Watmore (Fletcher 68mins), Kebano (Bolasie 68); Akpom (Assombalonga 68). Unused: Archer.
AS IT HAPPENED
  • 3:01pm
    GAME UNDERWAY
  • 3:02pm
    1 Good start for the hosts. Frieser has a shot blocked in the box after good work on the right by Brittain
  • 3:05pm
    4 First shot of the game is from Daryl Dike who gets the ball from Frieser on the left of the box and shoots from 15 yards out. It is very powerful but well over
  • 3:07pm
    Barnsley playing well, getting the ball regularly in Boro's half and trying to play it nicely out to the wings where they often have men over. Their final pass or cross has been lacking so far but it's an encouraging start
  • 3:08pm
    7 Frieser's left-wing throw is headed clear
  • 3:10pm
    9 Massive chance for Boro. Toby Sibbick's header back to the goalkeeper is intercepted by George Saville who nods tamely into Collins' arms. A big let-off
  • 3:13pm
    Toby Sibbick was superb at Luton but he very nearly cost his side there. A big wake-up call for the home team
  • 3:15pm
    15 Boro corner on the left, punched away by Collins
  • 3:17pm
    Boro have had a good spell in the last seven or eight minutes after the Reds began brightly
  • 3:20pm
    Ismael shouts 'come on Friesy' to Dominik Frieser
  • 3:27pm
    26 Woodrow brings the ball down on the edge of the box but blazes over
  • 3:27pm
    Midway through the first half. El Clasico is tonight but this is El Long Passico at Oakwell at the moment with lots of long balls and headers from defenders. Barnsley did start well but have been drawn back into a scrap following that big chance gifted by Sibbick. 0-0
  • 3:29pm
    28 Mowatt corner from the right is touched by Marcus Bettinelli and it drifts across his box and out for another corner
  • 3:30pm
    29 Mowatt corner on the left leads to a big scramble with a blocked shot by Andersen but Boro always had plenty of bodies between the ball and their goal
  • 3:31pm
    This has has been a better last five minutes for the Reds with that Woodrow shot and a couple of corners. Can they start to carve out better chances?
  • 3:32pm
    YELLOW CARD
    Alex Mowatt is the first man in the book for a foul on Darnell Fisher on the right wing
  • 3:33pm
    32 McNair's free-kick from the right is impressively cleared by Dike in his six-yard box
  • 3:35pm
    34 Alex Mowatt the latest Barnsley player to fire over the bar, this time from about 25 yards out
  • 3:39pm
    37 After a Frieser long throw, Woodrow lays the ball off to Helik whose 15-yard shot from the left is deflected and easily held by the goalkeeper diving to his left. Barnsley's first shot on target
  • 3:40pm
    40 Boro corner on right. Dike once again headed away
  • 3:42pm
    Dike has made three important clearances in his own box, but the Reds need to get him more involved at the other end. Earlier, the American won a header, squealed as he was kicked in the shin, then instantly won another header to start a Reds attack.
  • 3:46pm
    This has not been a good half of football to watch. Loads of long passes and the ball just being pumped from defender to defender.. On the few occasions the Reds have played the ball on the ground, they have looked quite good but lacked the final killer pass or cross
  • 3:46pm
    Two extra minutes
  • 3:48pm
    HALF-TIME: Barnsley 0, Middlesbrough 0. Not a great game, with the only clear chance gifted to the visitors by Toby Sibbick but George Saville headed straight at the goalkeeper. Barnsley have had more shots but are yet to come close to a goal.
  • 4:05pm
    Dominik Frieser is replaced by Carlton Morris
  • 4:06pm
    SECOND HALF UNDERWAY
  • 4:07pm
    47 Callum Styles wins a free-kick about 25 yards out on the left. It's decent shooting territory
  • 4:08pm
    48 Alex Mowatt leaves the free-kick and Styles touches it to Woodrow whose shot is blocked
  • 4:09pm
    Already you can see Morris brings a bit move liveliness and physicality to the attack, he wins a header on the right touchline and Dike can attack before running it out of play
  • 4:11pm
    Barnsley the only team to attack so far this half but they haven't created a chance yet
  • 4:13pm
    53 Paddy McNair's free-kick from the left is deflected behind for a corner on the right
  • 4:13pm
    53 Marc Bola's right-wing corner is easily caught by Collins
  • 4:15pm
    55 Good spell for Middlesbrough, Duncan Watmore's cross-come-shot whizzes across the six -yard box and Brittain concedes a corner
  • 4:16pm
    56 McNair crosses after a short corner and Grant Hall heads from the right straight at Collins
  • 4:16pm
    Aapo Halme replaced Romal Palmer
  • 4:16pm
    Chaplin is on for Woodrow
  • 4:21pm
    GOAL!
    61 Mowatt's right-wing corner goes all the way in!
  • 4:24pm
    That's his eighth goal of the season. Terrible defending to let it go in but a good well-flighted corner to the near post
  • 4:25pm
    Another big moment. The goalkeeper appears to take out Daryl Dike who was through on goal but the referee gives nothing. 'Embarrassing' shouts a furious Valerien Ismael
  • 4:27pm
    67Mowatt's left-wing free-kick almost goes all the way in for his second of the game but the goalkeeper dived to his left to claw it away. The ball is recycled and Styles' deflected shot is easily saved
  • 4:33pm
    Boro have brought on three big names in Ashley Fletcher, Britt Assombalonga and Yannick Bolasie for Watmore, Akpom and Kebano
  • 4:35pm
    GOAL!
    Daryl Dike heads in a Brittain cross!
  • 4:41pm
    Mowatt's shot from outside the box bounced into the ground and looped perfectly for Morris but his close-range header was kept out from point blank range by Bettinelli then the ball was crossed back in Brittain for Dike to head home from close range.
  • 4:41pm
    Dike joins Mowatt in getting his eighth goal of the season today
  • 4:46pm
    86 Chaplin latches onto a pass over the top but his lofted effort hits the post then the flag is up for offside
  • 4:49pm
    89 Boro corner from the left, clawed away by Collins
  • 4:50pm
    Five added minutes
  • 4:55pm
    FULL-TIME: Barnsley 2, Middlesbrough 0. Second half goals by Alex Mowatt and Daryl Dike put the fifth-placed Reds into 71 points

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