Barnsley ended a four-match winless run and moved back into the play-off places with a 1-0 win at Blackpool. 

Cameron McGeehan capped an excellent individual display with the goal just before the hour while the Reds created the better chances and played better football than their hosts throughout. Doncaster Rovers conceded a late equaliser so Barnsley overtook their local rivals to move back into sixth. 

Daniel Stendel made two changes from the side who impressed in a 1-1 draw with runaway leaders Portsmouth a week previously. Adam Jackson lost his place at centre-back with Liam Lindsay coming in while Mamadou Thiam replaced George Moncur. 

The Reds sprang a surprise with their formation as Thiam, usually a winger, played on his own up front with Kieffer Moore on the left wing and Cauley Woodrow playing just behind the Frenchman in a 4-2-3-1. 

The first 25 minutes brought very little action as Blackpool saw several set pieces cleared while Barnsley looked dangerous on the counter-attack but could only produce a long-range Alex Mowatt volley which was easily caught by goalkeeper Mark Howard.

Woodrow had the first clear cut chance of the match but his ten-yard shot went narrowly wide via a deflection after Thiam wriggled into the box from the left. Blackpool then had a good chance when ex-Red John O’Sullivan received the ball from Liam Feeney in the box but his shot from a tight angle on the right was easily blocked by the legs of his former Oakwell club-mate Adam Davies. 

Potts then sprinted down the right and squared to Thiam who was unmarked 15 yards out but scuffed a shot and it rolled harmlessly to Howard. Thiam crossed from the right and Moore headed straight at the goalkeeper from a very good position at the back post.  Two minutes into the second half, McGeehan cleared Ben Heneghan’s header from a corner off the line. Brad Potts then latched onto a loose Blackpool pass, powered past a defender and shot wide from the edge of the box on the right. 

Barnsley took the lead in the 59th minute minute as Potts crossed from byline on the right which took a slight deflection at the front post before McGeehan met it at the back post and headed in from two yards out.  The Reds then reverted to 4-4-2 in the second half with Thiam and Moore swapping roles.

Woodrow almost doubled the lead when Dani Pinillos headed an attempted Blackpool clearance to him and he turned then volleyed from the edge of the box but the effort when just wide. Moore could have made it 2-0 in injury-time from a Woodrow cross but his first shot was well-saved by Howard then his follow-up attempt was blocked. 

The hosts struggled to respond to going behind and did not create a clear-cut chance for the equaliser, with only a half-chance coming in the 93rd minute when substitute Steve Davies looped a 15-yard header straight at Davies who caught easily. 

Barnsley (4-2-3-1): Davies; Cavare, Pinnock, Lindsay, Pinillos; McGeehan, Mowatt (Dougall 90); Potts, Woodrow (Adeboyejo 90+3), Moore; Thiam (Bahre 81). Unused: Greatorex, Moncur, Jackson, Brown. Yellow cards: Mowatt, Lindsay, Moore. Goals: McGeehan 59.

Blackpool: Howard; Daniels, Heneghan, Tilt (O’Connor HT); Feeney (Davies 75mins), Spearing, Pritchard, Thompson, Bola; O’Sullivan (Nottingham 70), Gnanduillet.  Subs: Boney, Guy, Bunney, Davies, Delfouneso.Yellow cards: Heneghan.