The Reds recorded their best result of the season with a tremendous 4-1 success at relegation rivals Yeovil Town on Saturday to move level with fourth-bottom Charlton.
Barnsley are only in the bottom three on goal difference after Chris O'Grady bagged a brace with two good finishes to add to long-range screamers from Liam Lawrence and Dale Jennings.
It was 0-0 at the break but all five goals came between 54 and 79 minutes as Barnsley recorded their first back-to-back wins since March last year to the delight of the excellent away following of 735 who made the long trip to Somerset.
The Reds, who had an unchanged side from the win at Reading on Tuesday, were the only side in the bottom five to win.
Barnsley were slightly the better team in a dull first half with two half-chances each for O'Grady and Reuben Noble-Lazarus who came on for the injured Marcus Pedersen after 24 minutes. Luke Steele made a good save from Tom Lawrence just before the break after a clever free-kick routine.
O'Grady opened the scoring on 54 minutes with a lob over goalkeeper Marek Stech after a dreadful backwards header by former Doncaster defender Byron Webster. Barnsley's top-scorer ended a run of nine games without a goal.
It was 2-0 on 65 minutes as Liam Lawrence fired in his first for the club with a 20-yard strike which took a slight deflection.
Yeovil pulled one back on 71 minutes when Luke Ayling fired in from a cross by fellow full-back Jamie McAllister. But O'Grady beat the offside trap four minutes later to run onto a Jennings pass and fire in for 3-1 and make it 13 for the season.
O'Grady then returned the favour with a fine ball to Jennings who cut in from the left and fired in a sensational 25-yarder into the bottom corner for his second goal in five days.
