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Derby's Tomasz Cywka shone above the rest as he looked the likeliest to break the deadlock.
With both sides happy to play an eye-catching passing game Barnsley made the most of their early possession and might have led after 14 minutes.
Luke Potter produced an accurate cross that was cleared as far as Jon Macken ten yards out, but his left-foot shot was blocked.
Adam Hammill tested Stephen Bywater with a 22-yard effort, but the Derby keeper held it well before Stephen Foster headed over from a Hammill corner.
Winger Hammill darted into a good position to latch on to Filipe Teixeira's smart ball, but smashed his angled shot into the side netting.
But Barnsley striker Daniel Bogdanovic squandered a glorious chance when Hammill's free-kick was headed into the path of the Malta international and he scooped it over from 15 yards.
Derby's solitary effort on goal in the first half was within a whisker of earning them the lead when Russell Anderson headed Michael Tonge's corner and Luke Steele was forced to fingertip over.
After the break Derby threatened with two early efforts. Another corner from Tonge was headed wide by Paul Green and Tonge was the creator again with a super cross that was headed wide by Rob Hulse.
With the game 56 minutes old a crazy misjudgement by Barnsley keeper Steele almost gifted Derby the lead.
Steele raced out of his area to clear, but the ball hit defender Ryan Shotton and ballooned invitingly to Cywka, who clipped the ball at the open net only for Luke Potter to dive in and clear.
Seconds later Steele dropped a Tonge corner and Bobby Hassell had to clear off the line to keep out Derby.
In the dying minutes a mistake by Shotton allowed Cywka to burst into the Barnsley box, but his shot was tame and easily saved by Steele.