Barnsley lost their unbeaten away record this season as they were beaten 2-1 at managerless Port Vale.
The home team had lost their last six matches leading to the resignation of Micky Adams on Thursday but they outplayed their hosts, missing plenty of chances including a penalty and having three shots cleared off the line.
Michael O'Connor's superb free-kick gave Vale the lead midway through the first half but he gave Barnsley a way back into the game on 60 minutes when he shoved Conor Hourihane over in the box and the top-scorer scored the penalty to make it six goals in six league games.
There was a penalty at the other end ten minutes later when Jean Yves M'voto committed a very similar foul on Jordan Slew who blazed his spot-kick well over the bar.
But Vale's impressive winger Mark Marshall won it on 89 minutes to leave Barnsley 19th in League One.
Danny Wilson added experience to his line-up by replacing Adam Davies with Ross Turnbull in goal and bringing Keith Treacy and Leroy Lita in for Luke Berry and Kane Hemmings.
Turnbull was helpless for the opening goal on 24 minutes when, after Joe Dudgeon fouled Louis Dodds, O'Connor curled the ball over the wall and into the left side of the net from 25 yards out.
M'voto kept his team in the game with a goal-line clearance from Dodds' shot then Dudgeon did the same from Slew's effort.
The equaliser came against the run of play but there was no doubt it was a penalty as O'Connor pushed Hourihane over on the left side of the box. Hourihane's spot-kick was perfectly placed and flew in off the base of the right post.
Former Barnsley man Carl Dickinson almost responded instantly for Vale but Dudgeon made his second goal-line clearance of the game from the home captain's header.
It was the home side's turn to for a penalty on 71 minutes when M'voto was judged to have pushed over Slew, who smashed the spot-kick well over the bar.
Sam Winnall and Hourihane forced a decent double save out of home goalkeeper Chris Neal but Vale were well on top. Marshall forced Turnbull into two fine saves in the final minutes but it was third time lucky as he came in from the right past several exhausted visiting defenders before firing into the bottom left corner.
