Barnsley suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Ipswich Town on Tuesday night and remained two points adrift in the relegation zone.
The Reds created plenty of chances in a positive first half but conceded from a corner early in the second and could not find an equaliser.
The result left Barnsley still 22nd as the three teams directly above them lost in Reading, Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers who visit Oakwell on Saturday for a massive match.
Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy, who is from Barnsley, announced after the game that he had left the Tractor Boys with immediate effect.
Jose Morais made one change from the side that beat Sheffield United four days earlier. George Moncur was left out of the squad with illness and replaced by Adam Hammill who made his first start since February 20.
Ryan Hedges was back on the bench along with Jason McCarthy who has recovered from illness and replaced Dimitri Cavare as a substitute.
Barnsley began well and almost took the lead in the sixth minute when former Ipswich striker Kieffer Moore crashed a header against their crossbar from a left-wing Hammill corner.
Hammill almost got his first Championship goal in 18 months when his cross from the left went over everyone in the home box but was clawed out of the bottom left corner by his former Oakwell team-mate Bartosz Bialkowski in the Ipswich goal.
Brad Potts then went through on goal on the left of the box after a good one, two with the impressive Hammill but fired his shot into the side netting at the near post.
Ipswich came back into the game after a slow start and, minutes after ex-Red Callum Connolly blazed over from 15 yards out after meeting a low corner, a swift Town counter-attack caught the Reds completely unprepared and Bersant Celina was free in yards of space in the away box but put a great chance over the bar.
Lloyd Isgrove had a goal correctly ruled out for offside after good work by Moore and Gary Gardner put him through following a free-kick, then home debutant Barry Cotter fired just over the bar from 15 yards out after a low left-wing cross rolled straight to him.
The last action of the first half saw Hammill brilliantly cut past Cole Skuse on the left wing but his weak 15-yard shot was blocked. The Reds had been slightly the better team in the opening 45 minutes and created more chances than their mid-table hosts.
Moore had another chance from a Hammill corner early in the second half but headed over the bar from 12 yards out, and the visitors were behind within a minute. Jonas Knudsen flicked a header at the near post from a left-wing corner and Adam Davies, at full-stretch, could only get a slight touch as it went into the bottom right corner.
Adam Jackson almost levelled two minutes later but headed over the bar from a right wing cross then Cameron Carter-Vickers nearly made it 2-0 but volleyed over from close range. Former Barnsley player Connolly had a shot blocked from close range by former Ipswich man Zeki Fryers who met a low Martyn Waghorn cross.
Substitute Ryan Hedges, who replaced Isgrove, had a low 25-yard effort easily saved then Celina missed another glorious chance as Davies rushed off his line to deny him when one-on-one.
Moore then put another header over the bar, this time from a cross by his fellow former Ipswich man Zeki Fryers while, at the other end, Waghorn headed over from close range after a cross came to him at an awkward height.
Substitute Tom Bradshaw had a long-range shot easily saved but the big chance fell to Moore in the 89th minute when he had plenty of space in the area but saw his 15-yard shot blocked.
