COVENTRY City made it four wins from five games and their third consecutive home victory on a freezing night in the Midlands after shooting down Mark Robins' Tykes.
The result was no mean feat for the Sky Blues who were facing a Barnsley side who had not lost for eight league games.
But two goals in three first half minutes from Freddy Eastwood and Sammy Clingan gave City a good platform and although Jon Macken's early second half goal for the visitors closed the gap, Clinton Morrison came off the bench to make sure of the points with a third goal in injury time.
Barnsley had the better of the early first opportunities, Tykes skipper Stephen Foster first poking Emil Hallfredsson's corner goalwards in the first minute, forcing a good reaction save from City 'keeper Keiren Westwood.
Foster then went even closer two minutes later when he directed his header from a free kick off the top of Westwood's crossbar.
The Sky Blues started to make some headway though and Aron Gunnarsson was able to glance a header from Clingan's cross at goal only for Barnsley 'keeper Luke Steele to punch clear.
His punch was not a cleanly connected one though as the ball popped into the air with Leon Best and McIndoe both waiting underneath it, only for both to lash at the ball at the same time and send it high and wide.
Westwood was in action again at the other end on 21 minutes when Hugo Colace whipped an effort at goal from the edge of the area, Westwood making a superb one-handed save to stop it, made all the more impressive considering how late he saw it through a sea of bodies.
City were on the scoresheet two minutes later though when Stephen Wright received a ball on the overlap and floated a cross from the right for Eastwood who rose and headed downward past Steele and inside his far post.
And it got better on 26 minutes when McIndoe's corner found itself bouncing on the far edge of the penalty for Clingan to jump, Di Canio style, and lash a half volley inside Steele's far post.
Barnsley could not have wished for a better start to the first half though when Jon Macken was left with a simple header from six yards to close the gap.
Stephen Wright produce d a superb tackle in the six-yard area to deny Macken's initial shot but the cleared ball fell to the wing where Macken awaited a cross which he nodded home four minutes after the restart.
Clingan tested his range from set pieces just after the hour when he sent an acutely placed free kick on the left side of the Barnsley area at goal only for Steel to pluck the ball from underneath his crossbar.
Barnsley substitute Adam Hammill forced a save out of Westwood on 66 minutes, his whipped shot forcing the City shotstopper to palm the ball over his bar.
City's two January arrivals Gary Deegan and Carl Baker then took their first bow at the Ricoh Arena on 70 and 75 minutes respectively, Deegan replacing McIndoe with Baker taking over wing duties from David Bell.
City narrowly avoided conceding an equaliser four minutes from time when Tykes replacement Ian Hume brought down a long ball with a first touch which allowed him to cut inside two defenders inside the Coventry area only to steer his shot wide.
But Clinton Morrison, replacing and injured Aron Gunnarsson in the closing moments, made sure of the points for Chris Coleman's side with a typical poachers goal two minutes into six minutes of added time.
Baker started the move with some excellent skill on the left flank before cutting inside and using his strength to get the ball to Morrison.
His first shot forced an excellent save out of Steele who palmed the ball away from his goal as far as Best on the goal-line, his delicate half-volley cross finding Morrison to head home inside the six-yard area and help lift City to 14th in the Championship table.
Attendance: 15,031 (600 away)
Teams
Coventry City: Westwood, Wright (c), Cranie, Barnett, McPake, Gunnarsson (Morrison 83), Clingan, McIndoe (Deegan 70), Bell (Baker 75), Eastwood, Best
Subs: Konstantopoulos (GK), Hussey, Madine, Wood
Barnsley: Steele, Hassell, Moore, Colace, Foster (c), Bogdanovic (Hume 45), Hallfredsson, De Silva (Hammill 45), Macken, Dickinson, Shotton (Butterfield 84)
Subs: Preece (GK), Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Gray
