Barnsley recovered from the departure of their head coach Lee Johnson with a comprehensive victory over Bury on Sunday, their seventh successive League One win.
Marley Watkins, Sam Winnall and Adam Hammill got the goals to lift the Reds up to tenth, within five points of the play-offs.
Johnson left his role as head coach to join Championship club Bristol City on Saturday, 48 hours after steering the Reds to the Wembley final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy with victory at Fleetwood.
Former Reds player and now coach Paul Heckingbottom took over as caretaker with the help of Tommy Wright who was assistant under Johnson. The duo made no changes from the side that won at Fleetwood.
Former Barnsley target Tom Pope had just put a good change wide from six yards out when the Reds took the lead in the 20th minute. Watkins beat goalkeeper Ian Lawlor to a long ball on the left of the Bury box by the byline, cut past Lawlor and a defender and finished into the bottom left corner from eight yards out.
Winnall could have doubled the lead four minutes later but sent a free header over the bar after a right-wing cross from Lloyd Isgrove.
Bury, managed by former Barnsley boss David Flitcroft, came back into the match but were restricted to long-range shots for Leon Clarke and ex-Red John O'Sullivan.
Barnsley started the second half well with Hammill testing Lawlor from a tight angle then setting up Aidy White to blaze over inside the box.
Winnall doubled the lead ten minutes after the break when he received a Hourihane pass from the left and fired into the bottom right corner from 15 yards out. It was his tenth goal in seven league games.
The third goal came midway through the second half when substitute Ashley Fletcher collected a Winnall pass and sent a right-wing cross to the far post when Hammill smashed the ball high into the net.
Leon Clarke missed a one-on-one for Bury then substitutes Josh Scowen and Fletcher both came close to stretching Barnsley's lead.
