BARNSLEY made it four wins from five and moved up to eighth in the Championship after a 2-1 win over near neighbours Rotherham United.
They are now just two points off the play-off places, before sixth-placed Reading visit Swansea tomorrow (Wednesday).
All the talk pre-game had been whether the match should have been allowed to go ahead given an outbreak of Covid-19 in the Rotherham camp which had seen their last two fixtures called off.
Millers' manager Paul Warne could only name six substitutes and also had a number of key players missing through injury and illness, including former Red Angus MacDonald. George Hirst, son of former Reds' striker David, was named on the bench.
Conor Chaplin missed out for Barnsley after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive. His place was taken by Victor Adeboyejo. Back-up goalkeeper Brad Collins was also absent and replaced by Harry Kendrick on the bench.
The Millers made a decent start with Kyle Vassell forcing Jack Walton into an early diving save at his near post.
Barnsley sprung into life in the eighth minute with Cauley Woodrow giving them the lead after he latched on to a perfect pass from Alex Mowatt.
The skipper, Mowatt, doubled the lead on 15 minutes again after a sublime move. Woodrow sprayed the ball out wide to Callum Styles who cut it back to the midfielder to curl into the far post from the edge of the box.
Rotherham looked to get back into the game and Freddie Ladapo was denied by another diving stop from Walton.
It was a former Barnsley loanee who halved the deficit on 57 minutes as he jumped highest to power in a header from Dan Barlaser's corner.
They really should have levelled moments later when Ladapo fired wide after making space for himself on the left hand side of the box.
Victor Adeboyejo spurned a huge chance to restore Barnsley's two goal advantage. The striker did the hard work of brushing aside defender Wes Harding, but he rushed his shot and fired wide.
Rotherham: Johansson, Olosunde, Ihiekwe, Harding, Wood (Clarke, 81), Wiles, Lindsay, Barlaser, Jozefzoon (Smith, half time), Ladapo, Vassell (Hirst, 65).
Unused: Blackman, Thompson, Miller.
Barnsley: Walton, Brittain, Helik, Sollbauer, Andersen, Styles, James (Palmer, 74), Mowatt (Moon, 87), Adeboyejo, Woodrow, Frieser (Thomas, 74).
Unused: Kendrick, Oduor, Kane, Christie-Davies, Schmidt, Miller.
