Barnsley finished 2024 on a high with a 3-1 success at Peterborough United - an eighth away victory of the season.

Donovan Pines and Davis Keillor-Dunn scored early in the second half. The hosts replied with a penalty then had a man sent off before Jon Russell secured the win.

The Reds were easily the better side and remain seventh, a point outside the top six.

After losing 4-0 at home to Leyton Orient last weekend, they have responded magnificently with wins at Bolton and now Peterborough.

Darrell Clarke made one change from the win at Bolton three days earlier. Barry Cotter – who had not started a league game since October 5 – came in for Georgie Gent who was rested and on the bench. Cotter played out of position at left wing-back. There was no Stephen Humphrys at all, due to illness, with Aiden Marsh on the bench instead.

Barnsley were well on top early on. Davis Keillor-Dunn headed over from a left-wing cross then, after Mael de Gevigney won the ball, Luca Connell brilliantly played Max Watters clean through but he was denied by the goalkeeper. Jon Russell shot just wide of the bottom right corner from 20 yards.

Posh should have taken the lead totally against the run of play on 29 minutes when, after Donovan Pines lost the ball, Ricky Jade Jones crossed from the left to Malik Mothersille who shot straight at Ben Killip from close range.

Posh were the better side for the rest of the half as Chris Conn-Clarke shot over from 30 yards after Connell gifted him the ball, then Jones flicked a header wide from a Mothersille cross.

Pines opened the scoring just two minutes into the second half when, after a Corey O'Keeffe's throw was not cleared, he smashed a low shot from the right of the box into the bottom left corner.

The second goal arrived eight minutes later when O’Keeffe played a right-wing corner low into the box to Keillor-Dunn who cleverly peeled away from his markers to smash in from about 12 yards out.

Watters almost made it 3-0 when he was played in on the right of the box but shot into the side netting.

Posh pulled one back through Mothersille’s penalty after Conor McCarthy pulled down Emmanuel Fernandez at the back post from a corner.

Home substitute Harley Mills was then sent off for a late tackle on O’Keeffe after 82 minutes.

Russell then added a third for the visitors when he cut in from the right and curled in a superb left-footed shot from 25 yards.

Gent saw a shot saved from the left of the box after a Russell pass.

Barnsley (3-5-2): Killip; de Gevigney, Pines, McCarthy; O’Keeffe, Phillips (Nwakali 74mins), Russell, Connell, Cotter (Gent 74); Keillor-Dunn (Marsh 89), Watters (Cosgrove 62). Unused: Smith, Lofthouse, Yoganathan.

Yellow cards: Pines. O’Keeffe.

Goals: Pines 47, Keillor-Dunn 55, Russell 87.

Peterborough (4-4-2 diamond): Bilokapic; Katongo (Curtis 58 mins), Fernandez, Wallin, Sparkes (Mills 58); Collins, De Havilland (Hayes 58), Kyprianou, Conn-Clarke (Odoh 85); Mothersille, Jones.

Unused: Blackmore, O’Brien-Brady, Ihionvien.

Red cards: Mills.

Goals: Mothersille 73 (pen).