BARNSLEY lost to fellow strugglers Hull City on Saturday and plunged themselves deeper into trouble.
It was one of the worst performances of the season at Oakwell, in a game which the away side came away with all three points.
Before the game, the Reds were one place above the Tigers - but after a 2-0 defeat they are now back below them in the table.
Joe Laumann’s team conceded in both halves to Grant McCann’s team who hadn’t scored away from home since the first game of the season.
He said: “We missed an opportunity to make a big step forward.
“We had a good start for 15 minutes but, after conceding, we lost our rhythm.
“In the second half we put pressure on them but we weren’t decisive in the last third.
“We are very disappointed.
“It’s not easy to play three games in a week and to manage freshness and energy.
“We looked tired but we cannot blame this because Hull also had three games.
“If you have a run like we had, you are not stable after one win.
“We will go home have a couple of days off then come back and regroup.”