Barnsley got their third successive victory with a 3-2 home success over Colchester United on Friday night.
Sam Winnall continued his superb scoring run by putting the Reds 1-0 up in the fourth minute and they looked set to add to the lead until former Leeds man Sanchez Watt levelled against the run of play after a quarter of an hour.
It was 2-1 to the hosts on 55 minutes when Devante Cole won a penalty which Conor Hourihane converted. Peter Ramage's header made it 3-1 but Freddie Sears responded minutes later. The Reds have now won three in a row for the first time since their six-match winning streak under David Flitcroft in the spring of 2013. They are now 11th in League One, four points off the play-off places.
Danny Wilson made two changes to the team that thrashed Burton Albion 5-0 in the FA Cup six days earlier. Fulham loan duo Marcello Trotta and Ryan Williams, who were on international duty with Italy under 21s and Australia under 23s respectively, were replaced by Kane Hemmings, who played just behind the strikers, and Cole, who joined Winnall up front.
Colchester's top-scorer Sears had already missed a fine chance from six yards out when Barnsley's star striker Winnall showed him how it is done with a piledriver into the bottom left corner from the right corner of the box. The fourth-minute goal was the summer signing's sixth in four matches and his ninth of the season.
Barnsley were well on top with some menacing free-kicks and fine passing moves, one of which led to Cole drawing a fine save from Sam Walker, but it was Colchester who scored next.
When the Reds failed to clear a low cross from the right, Watt's scuffed effort from the left side of the box trickled into the bottom right corner.
Ramage then had a goal disallowed for offside before Sears brought a good save out of Ross Turnbull who tipped the powerful shot over. Winnall scooped another good chance over the bar after fine work from Luke Berry.
Barnsley retook the lead ten minutes into the second half. Hourihane's fine pass put Cole through but he was brought down by Colchester captain Sean Clohessy and the referee awarded a penalty which Hourihane tucked away for his tenth of the campaign.
Hourihane provided the third goal on 71 minutes when his corner was headed home by Ramage to seemingly put the Reds in control. But the Essex side hit back three minutes later when Sears ran onto a fine pass from substitute Rhys Healey and lashed the ball into the net.
Turnbull had to be alert in the final minutes although he was never really tested and Barnsley held on.
