West Bromwich Albion 4-0 Barnsley: Karlan Grant scores double as Baggies thrash Tykes
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Karlan Grant's first-half penalty was his 17th goal of the season and his 18th arrived after the break
Karlan Grant scored twice and missed a penalty as West Brom rounded off a disappointing season with a thumping win over bottom-of-the-table Barnsley.
Grant gave a dominant home side the lead from the spot after Jayson Molumby was felled in the area by Clarke Odour and Adam Reach made it 2-0 when he ran onto a long ball and looped the ball over keeper Jack Walton.
The Baggies, who were top of the Championship table in October, went 3-0 up after the break when defender Matt Clarke showed great composure to slip the ball under Walton from close range after good work by Grady Diangana.
Barnsley, who did not even have the possibility of avoiding finishing bottom of the table having managed just six wins in a miserable season, barely threatened and any slim chances of avoiding a fifth successive defeat ended when Grant grabbed his second, neatly dinking the ball in when one-on-one.
The striker then missed a great chance for his hat-trick from the spot, but his second penalty of the afternoon was superbly saved by the overworked Walton after Darnell Furlong was brought down.
West Brom's 18th victory of the season sees them finish in 10th, eight points off the play-off places.
The Tykes finished 11 points adrift of fourth-from-bottom Reading, with just 30 points points and a goal difference of minus 40.
West Brom manager Steve Bruce:
"This season has not been good enough. Looking back on the three months, it was the first month where I didn't make the impact I would have liked.
"We didn't get anywhere near the results that we needed to give us a chance. I couldn't address the slide quickly enough and that is the overriding feeling I have at this moment in time.
"We finished OK. We've given a glimpse of how we want to try and approach it next year. But it was a little bit too late.
"We have got good players in the club and my challenge is to put a squad together that is capable of getting us to where we want to get to. We've got a big summer ahead."
Barnsley caretaker head coach Martin Devaney:
"We had such a young team. For a lot of the players, it was only their second or third game so it was always going to be a massive struggle for us.
"But I thought up until the penalty, which clearly wasn't a penalty, we did well. The structure was good, our pressing was good.
"But they got that penalty. And then you are asking a young team to gather their minds and make sure they stay in the game. But they got that second goal which was really disappointing.
"The young boys, though, will learn from that. It will be a great experience for them."