Barnsley ended the season in style by ending Stockport's 11-game unbeaten run.
Debut man Nicky Wroe and Gary Birch pounced on defensive errors in the first-half, and after Owen Morrison pulled one back in the second-half Alex Neil finished the job, although Stuart Barlow did grab an injury-time consolation.
Stockport striker Luke Beckett had a great chance to score an early goal on his return, but he pulled his shot across the face of goal after Jon Daly nodded the ball into his path ten yards out.
And County were made to pay a minute later when Neil Austin played a ball behind the defence where Wroe arrived first to turn the ball past James Spencer.
The young keeper made a complete hash of a clearance in the 16th minute, allowing Birch to side foot the ball into an empty net.
Stockport were unfortunate not to pull one back when Morrison's low cross from the right was met by Ashley Williams' snapshot. Unfortunately Ross Turnbull in the Tykes goal pulled off a great diving save.
County could have gone further behind in the 36th minute when a misunderstanding between Rickie Lambert and Robert Jones allowed in David Murphy, who fluffed his shot allowing Spencer to make the save with his legs.
Morrison gave some hope of sustaining County's unbeaten run when he produced a piece of magic in the 58th minute. Running at the Barnsley defence he passed three opponents, including the final one with a delightful shimmy, before beating the keeper with a low shot into the corner.
And a couple of minutes later they came so close to getting an equaliser when Danny Jackman's free-kick was headed over by Lambert from close-range.
Defensive frailties again cost County a goal in the 72nd minute, when three failures to clear the danger left Neil with the opportunity to beat Spencer with a low shot.
Sub Stuart Barlow helped lift Stockport's spirits with an injury-time goal which he despatched from a tight angle.