A brace of headers from Kyle Wootton completed a second half comeback as County fought from behind to claim all three points at Edgeley park.
Jim McNulty’s men blew Barnsley away with an exuberant second half performance and retained their right to sit in the League One playoff positions, with the Tykes travelling home empty handed.
The visitors paid no heed to the gulf in the league standings between the two clubs early on, however, and came straight out of the blocks in the opening ten minutes, as promising pieces of play from dangerman Reyes Cleary were twice matched by Manchester City loanee Oliver Whatmuff in goal.
Despite a quick response to the early Barnsley pressure in the form of Ben Osborn’s agonising miss, Daniel Stendel’s made like the day’s spurts of rain and refused to relent, before Patrick Kelly clipped a sweet strike off the far post and in to put the visitors ahead after a quarter of an hour.
It took little to no time for the home crowd’s unrest to grow palpable with their rearguard unit searching for elusive routes out of their territory. Central pressure from Debutant Rylan Brownile and Vimal Yoganathan continued to cause one or two headaches at the back amid restless groans from the County faithful.
Stockport’s woes would soon worsen when top goalscorer Kyle Wootton failed to convert a guilt edged chance, but home optimism was building as clashes of Blue and Red throughout a rigorous first half provided a real test for referee Martin Coy.
It seemed Barnsley’s travelling support had what they had come for as the match hurtled towards the interval, despite a late onslaught of blunt-edged finishing from the County front line. The hosts were no doubt relishing the chance to lick their wounds during the break.
McNulty’s half-time call to introduce Lewis Fiorini looked to be proving fruitful after the break with the Scotsman linking up with skipper Ollie Norwood for a chance, there was certainly a revamped look about the hosts following the restart.
The drastic change in weather conditions threw a spanner in the works, the emergence of a sunny sky was enough to prompt Barnsley stopper Rogan Ravenhill to borrow a cap from one excitable member of his supporting crowd.
And the bright skies spelt just as bright spells for the Stockport support, with Kyle Wotton rising highest to Norwood’s corner to bury his 7th of the season and level up the scoring on the hour mark.
Brownile was the fall guy as he made way to provide scope for a Barnsley low block, a move that proved fatal when substitute Jason Adigun lofted an inch perfect delivery onto the head of Wootton, who looped his attempt over a grasping Ravenhill to mark his brace. A bitter pill to swallow for the travelling fans behind the goal.
An attempt to shut up shop for an away point stamped out almost instantly left Barnsley struggling for answers.
That very answer came close to unveiling itself when Whatmuff responded quickly to Kelly’s sharp volley. A warning shot from the visitors after a quiet second half.
Barnsley’s reprieve would prove short-lived however, marauding runs from an electric Adigun continued to threaten from wide areas with a box full of blue bodies.
A final burst of jubilation rung around Edgeley Park after Mikael Mandron arrived from the bench to tap home from close range and bury Barnsley’s hatchet. The Frenchman scribed the full stop on a brilliant Stockport comeback as the hatters remain comfortably in the top four.