With leaders Chesterfield losing, Barnet consolidated third place by collecting three points at Roots Hall.
Reece Hall-Johnson opened the scoring with four minutes on the clock as his deflected effort put the visitors ahead.
The triumph was wrapped up 12 minutes from time when Harry Pritchard hammered in a penalty after Nicke Kabamba had been fouled by Southend goalkeeper Collin Andeng Ndi.
A scoreless and largely chanceless first half burst briefly into life seven minutes before the break, Barnet defender Jerome Okimo’s long-range volley tipped to safety by Will Jaaskelainen.
Woking’s Alfie Pavey went close early in the second half from Kevin Berkoe’s cross and Berkoe, on his home debut, soon made the telling impact after Pavey’s initial effort was saved.
Pavey headed over as the pair linked up again before Barnet substitute Nicke Kabamba had a goal ruled out for offside.
The prolific Kabamba headed just wide in the fourth of six added minutes but defeat left Chesterfield, held at Oldham earlier in the day, 24 points clear with Barnet having 24 to play for.
A win at the Hive would have seen the hosts draw to within five points of leaders Chesterfield but they fell behind after 26 minutes when goalkeeper Laurie Walker brought down Mike Fondop and conceded a penalty, which James Norwood converted.
Walker had initially been shown a red card before the referee rescinded the decision and issued a yellow.
Barnet looked to have taken advantage of the reprieve when Harry Pritchard levelled from the spot 10 minutes into the second half.
But from there the visitors took control, Fondop restoring the lead before Norwood got his second from 12 yards.
Hallam Hope netted in the 90th minute to make it back-to-back wins and move Oldham to within two points of the play-off places, while Barnet fell to a third straight loss.
The defender headed home a 76th-minute winner to leave his side, who had started the day in second place, top on goal difference ahead of Chesterfield.
Lee Ndlovu might have given the hosts a fourth-minute lead after being played in by Kwesi Appiah, but fired just wide, but the striker did force Barnet keeper Laurie Walker to intervene six minutes later.
However, opposite number Nathan Ashmore had to be at his best to turn away Dale Gorman’s attempt from distance, but saved more comfortably from Nicke Kabamba 10 minutes before the break.
Tom Whelan was unable to capitalise on good work by Ndlovu down the left when his attempt was saved by Walker, and his side were made to pay with 14 minutes remaining when Oluwo powered home from a corner to snatch victory.
The hosts took a ninth-minute lead when Nick Haughton converted from the penalty spot but Bees newcomer Gatlin O’Donkor made it two goals in two appearances to level the scores.
Harry Pritchard’s neat near-post finish turned things on their head before Naughton’s second of the day evened it up for Fylde at half-time.
With the points up for grabs the visitors’ quality shone through, Reece Hall-Johnson heading home a fine cross from Luke Freeman and Callum Stead punishing a poor goalkeeping error from Connor Barrett.
The home side took the lead midway through the first half as debutant Adebola Oluwo bundled the ball home after Harry Pritchard got a touch on a free-kick at the far post.
Hartlepool pressed for an equaliser as Chris Wreh and Josh Umerah tested Bees goalkeeper Laurie Walker before Tom Crawford fired over the crossbar, while Nicke Kabamba headed an effort wide at the other end.
Kabamba almost doubled Barnet’s lead just before the break and he made his presence count at the start of the second half as the former Pools striker headed home at the far post.
Danny Collinge netted another header as the hosts made it three, while Hartlepool struck twice in the closing minutes as Jake Hastie pulled one back before Umerah fired in the rebound after the visitors had a penalty saved in stoppage time.
Fylde went in front after only 20 seconds when Danny Whitehead struck his second of the season.
Barnet, who announced pre-match that former Celtic and Norwich striker Gary Hooper was set to join the club, saw their chances improve after the break when Siyabonga Ligendza was shown a second yellow card.
The hosts equalised 10 minutes from time when Callum Stead guided the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the area and the prolific Kabamba snatched the points at the death.
Nicke Kabamba had already gone close for Barnet when they took the lead 33 minutes in.
A corner found Danny Collinge and he put a header away for his ninth of the season.
Chances continued to present themselves to the home side and a minute before the break Kabamba drilled in his 29th of the season.
If the outcome was in doubt at the break, it was not three minutes later as Luke Freeman made it three.
Kidderminster pulled a goal back on the hour through Charlie Weston but Idris Kanu added a last-minute fourth.
Josh Taylor and Jason Prior put Dorking in charge at Meadowbank, but second-half goals from Nicke Kabamba, Anthony Hartigan and Danny Collinge earned Barnet a comeback win that keeps them three points behind Chesterfield.
Dorking took a fifth-minute lead when a long ball forward was allowed to bounce through to the edge of Barnet box, where Taylor pounced to drill past Laurie Walker.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 22nd minute when Tom Blair’s cross picked out Prior and the veteran striker headed home his seventh of the season.
With the points slipping away, Barnet came out after the break with all guns blazing and Kabamba reduced the deficit when he got in front of his marker to flick in his 11th goal of the campaign.
Barnet substitute Callum Stead hit the outside of a post, but the visitors would not be denied and drew level in the 67th minute when Anthony Hartigan curled a brilliant free-kick into the near top corner.
The Bees were not finished there either, and took the lead – and the points – four minutes later when Collinge fired into the roof of the net for the centre-back’s sixth goal this season.
Captain Gorman set the promotion-chasing Bees on course to move four points clear of third-placed Bromley with a stunning strike from distance in the 18th minute.
On-loan Oxford forward O’Donkor doubled Barnet’s advantage with a fine 38th-minute volley.
Chris Maguire halved the deficit before the break by running half the length of the pitch to finish a counter-attack, but the 18th-placed Spitfires remain just three points above the drop zone following a fourth game without a win.
Stephen Wearne’s brace left the Bees five points behind the Spireites, who lost at Southend.
Gateshead opened the scoring two minutes into the second half through Wearne.
Despite missing from 20 yards earlier on, Wearne grabbed his second 20 minutes later, taking his tally to three in two games.
Danny Collinge headed home a corner to put the Bees ahead after 10 minutes.
Laurie Walker then made a superb diving save to prevent an equaliser from Ollie Crankshaw.
Harry Pritchard saw his 32nd-minute penalty saved by Ethan Ross before Dale Gorman was inches away from doubling the advantage when his shot came back off the crossbar.
Zak Brunt did double the lead with 67 minutes gone when he curled home from the edge of the box and Nicke Kabamba wrapped it up three minutes into stoppage time.
The former Leeds and Sheffield United defender arrives at Oakwell after Michael Duff left for Swansea.
Last season, Duff took the Tykes to the Sky Bet League One play-off final, where they lost against Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley.
Collins, 39, moves back to South Yorkshire having enjoyed a successful spell in the United States at the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be stepping back into the EFL and even more so to be joining a club of this stature,” Collins said on Barnsley’s website.
“Everything I do will be aimed at repaying the faith shown in me by the owners and (chief executive) Khaled (El-Ahmad) and of course giving the Barnsley faithful a team that they can be proud of.
“I am fortunate to be working with a squad that just achieved a play-off final, but understand there is a lot of work to be done if we want to replicate that success and go a step further.
“I can’t wait to get started and work on getting this club back to where it belongs.”
Collins added: “I would like to say a huge thanks to the Tampa Bay Rowdies for supporting me in exploring this opportunity. Without all the staff and players’ incredible hard work this would not have been possible.”
Barnsley chief executive Khaled El-Ahmad is confident Collins can take the club forward as they look to challenge for promotion back to the Championship.
“We are happy to be able to bring Neill to Oakwell to work with our staff and continue upon the foundation we implemented at the start of the last campaign,” El-Ahmad said.
“The primary focus is now allowing Neill to settle in and begin to build relationships with the staff and players at Oakwell and commence preparations for the upcoming season.”
The second leg was settled by a first-half goal from Liam Kitching at Oakwell, the Barnsley defender powering home a header from Luca Connell’s fine cross.
Bolton rallied for a spell following the break, but they were unable to find a way back into the game.
Barnsley head coach Michael Duff named an unchanged side while Bolton counterpart Ian Evatt made two changes following the drawn first leg, with Dan Nlundulu and George Thomason restored to the starting line-up.
Barnsley threatened first when Connell fired in a low drive from distance early on which was comfortably saved by James Trafford.
At the other end, Nlundulu sent in a shot on target but it failed to trouble Harry Isted in the Barnsley goal.
Kitching then tried his luck from the edge of the area which was straight at Trafford, but the visiting keeper was made to work harder by Herbie Kane soon after as head to stretch to gather the midfielder’s low shot.
Kitching was back in the action in the 24th minute, and this time it resulted in the deadlock being broken.
Connell whipped in a superb cross and Kitching climbed above his marker on the edge of the six-yard box to thump a header past Trafford.
As Barnsley looked to build on their lead, Adam Phillips saw his free-kick crash against the defensive wall.
Bolton made a strong start to the second half and Conor Bradley looked for a penalty after going down under a challenge inside the area, but their appeals fell on deaf ears.
Aaron Morley then tried a shot from distance which went wide while George Thomason had a goal-bound effort blocked as the visitors continued to push for an equaliser.
However, Barnsley remained a threat and Phillips went close to putting the hosts further ahead midway through the second period when his dipping volley from the edge of the area hit the bar.
Bolton were then handed a great chance to get back on terms when they were awarded an indirect free-kick inside the penalty area, given away by goalkeeper Isted following a defensive mix-up.
The ball was touched to Morley but he fired over the bar.
During six minutes of added time, Bolton threw players forward in a desperate bid to force an equaliser that would have sent the tie to extra time, but they failed to test Isted.
And Jordan Williams threatened to add a second goal for Barnsley just before the final whistle, firing wide after Bolton were caught on the break.
Harvey Knibbs gave Reading the lead early on through a close-range header but Herbie Kane levelled approaching half-time from a penalty.
Devante Cole, Barnsley’s top scorer, fired home a superb long-range strike in the 80th minute and Max Watters settled the issue seven minutes later.
It was the hosts who made the better start, going in front in the fourth minute following an intricate free-kick move involving three players.
Lewis Wing clipped the ball into the Barnsley area, centre-back Tyler Bindon nodded it on and Knibbs headed in for his ninth goal of the season in all competitions.
During the first half, play was twice interrupted briefly by tennis balls being thrown on to the pitch by home fans – their latest protest against club owner Dai Yongge.
Barnsley improved after their sluggish start and were rewarded six minutes before the break when Bindon was adjudged to have handled Sam Smith’s attempted clearing header and Kane coolly slotted home from the spot.
Sam Cosgrove forced a smart save from David Button after the interval.
But the home keeper could do nothing about Cole’s powerful drive – his 12th goal of the season – nor Watters’ tap-in from a cross from fellow substitute Fabio Jalo.
Collins brought on striker John McAtee and midfielder Adam Phillips, who were both ill in the build-up to the game, and McAtee responded with a quick-fire brace, his ninth and 10 League One goals of the season, before Luca Connell sealed victory with a third for the Tykes.
“There was no question that we needed more urgency in our play, we needed a bit more quality and that was the message at half-time,” Collins said after his side trailed to Joe Powell’s goal at the break.
“We felt that we had to make changes and we know that with Macca (McAtee) he brings that intensity which is what we love.
“Him and Adam Phillips both reported unwell yesterday and were unable to train, but it was great that they made themselves available.
“We know that a lot of the time it is about what you can do late on in games and to have them and to be able to bring on that sort of quality helped.”
Victory extended Barnsley’s unbeaten away record to 11 games, a club record.
Collins added: “Ultimately are we frustrated in the last couple of weeks that we have let the chances of automatic promotion go?
“Definitely, but I just said to the players that there have lots of fantastic Barnsley teams in my lifetime and today we have broken the away record.”
Burton boss Martin Paterson cut a frustrated figure as he tried to analyse his side’s second-half “capitulation” that saw them slump to a sixth straight home defeat.
“First half was really good.” Paterson said. “Should have been two or three to the good.
“We missed opportunities but finally got that goal that we have been working for and we go in at half-time 1-0 up against an excellent Barnsley side at this level. Then you saw what happened, it was a capitulation.”
Paterson was Collins’ assistant earlier in his career and knew exactly what to expect in the second half.
“Last thing I said to the players at half-time was that there was a storm coming, because I know Neill. He is going to be aggressive and put his subs on early that are quality at this level and that showed in the period of time that they scored three goals.”
With five games to go Albion are looking over their shoulders at the bottom four and Paterson knows he needs more from his side in the remaining games.
“The performance levels are there in moments, but we can’t seem to get a complete performance,” he said.
“I am trying to be really creative with some things, but the truth is that we don’t score in moments when we have teams under pressure and that is hurting us.”
Herbie Kane opened the scoring from the spot in the 20th minute after the Reds were awarded their first home penalty since March 2021, with Callum Styles adding a second just minutes later.
League One top-scorer Devante Cole netted a third with 15 minutes to play to leave the Tykes two points behind Oxford.
Barnsley were awarded a penalty after Barry Cotter’s strike from the edge of the box was blocked by the arm of the onrushing Carl Winchester.
Kane stepped up, firing to the right of Marko Marosi to give his side a 1-0 lead.
The Tykes swiftly doubled their advantage five minutes later. Cole countered down the right and crossed to Styles who slotted home from inside the box.
The Shrews nearly pulled one back on the hour mark. Cheyenne Dunkley headed goalwards but Nicky Cadden was there to clear off the line.
Cole made it three in the 75th minute. Playing a neat one-two with Max Watters, he found himself with just the keeper to beat and slotted past Marosi.
The Tykes hit the front after just four minutes at Sixfields when goalkeeper Lee Burge miscued a clearance straight to Callum Styles, who took advantage with a brilliant first-time volley.
Liam Roberts saved well from Jon Guthrie’s header as Northampton sought a quick response and the Barnsley goalkeeper also kept out Mitch Pinnock’s well-struck volley.
The home side had reacted well to the early setback and applied pressure with a string of corners and set-pieces but they struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Northampton’s frustration continued in the second half and, as they became increasingly desperate, Barnsley threatened a second goal on the break with Styles missing a good chance and Burge saving superbly from Devante Cole’s header.
Cole was not to be denied two minutes from time, though, when he ran the length of the pitch to score Barnsley’s second and secure all three points, with Louis Appere’s stoppage-time struck nothing more than a consolation.
Jack Aitchison and Reece Cole both netted first-half goals for their side, while Mael de Givigney scored a late header for the Tykes.
Aitchison broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when the home defence failed to deal with a looping ball, allowing the former Barnsley man to control and finish from the right of the box.
Gary Caldwell’s side doubled their lead in the 31st minute when Cole was afforded space on the edge of the box to curl left of Liam Roberts.
Barnsley should have halved the deficit in the 61st minute. Adam Phillips picked up the ball on the edge of the box and struck the crossbar with a thunderous effort.
Sam Cosgrove shot narrowly wide just seconds later as the ball was crossed back into the box by Nicky Cadden.
Cosgrove blazed another effort over the bar in the 84th minute when the ball fell his way a few yards out.
Neill Collins’ side pulled one back in the 87th minute when De Gevigney headed home from inside the box.
Luther James-Wildin opened the scoring before John McAtee and Herbie Kane hit back for the hosts.
Boro broke the deadlock just four minutes on the clock when Barnsley goalkeeper Liam Roberts parried Jamie Reid’s effort into the path of James-Wildin to tap home.
Steve Evans’ side were gifted an opportunity on the half-hour mark when Corey O’Keefe’s poor backwards pass was intercepted by Jordan Roberts, who flashed an effort across the face of goal.
Barnsley equalised in the 32nd minute when Callum Styles’ long ball over the top found McAtee in behind. The Luton loanee controlled and lobbed Taye Ashby-Hammond with an audacious effort from the edge of the box.
McAtee could have added a second just two minutes later after he was played through on goal by Devante Cole, but Ashby-Hammond rushed out to make the save.
Neill Collins’ side took the lead in the 70th minute when Kane received the ball just inside the opposition half and drove forward, seeing his deflected effort loop in from the edge of the box.