Barnsley 2 Mansfield Town 3: Defensive issues laid bare as Reds suffer Christmas hangover

The Reds have an attacking record that compares favourably with the clubs gunning for promotion but they are incapable of keeping the door closed at the other end.

After surrendering a two-goal lead in front of a frustrated Oakwell crowd, Barnsley's season is in danger of being defined by style rather than substance.

Conor Hourihane's side have now conceded 11 goals in four League One games, numbers that make a play-off push increasingly unlikely.

To highlight their fragility, basement side Port Vale shipped five goals at Huddersfield Town on Boxing Day, yet still have a better defensive record than the Reds despite playing two more matches.

Barnsley have games in hand on all their rivals in the table but it will matter little on this evidence.

The home side were picked apart after making a dream start to their first game of four in nine days.

Barnsley appeared to be coasting to a routine win thanks to two goals inside the opening 13 minutes from Reyes Cleary and Davis Keillor-Dunn, his 14th of the season.

But Mansfield, who had struggled to find the net before their visit to Oakwell, sensed vulnerability after Louis Reed's penalty halved the deficit midway through the first half.

Stephen McLaughlin duly equalised just before the hour mark, setting the scene for Aaron Lewis to complete the comeback late on.

Without a league win since October – collecting just one point from their previous six games – relegation-threatened Mansfield enjoyed their day out in South Yorkshire.

Hourihane, meanwhile, must find a way to resolve Barnsley's defensive problems, whether he is backed in January or not.

Until then, the Reds' inability to keep a clean sheet will continue to undermine even their brightest attacking moments.

Christmas cheer arrived early for Barnsley on Boxing Day – and left just as quickly.

There were barely 90 seconds on the clock when Cleary broke the deadlock, just as he did last time out at home against Leyton Orient.

The opener could be traced back to a fine flick-on by Keillor-Dunn, his header giving Patrick Kelly all the time he needed to feed Cleary with an inch-perfect through ball.

From there, there was only one outcome. The angle was against Cleary but the in-form winger made it look easy with a confident finish through the legs of Liam Roberts.

The early goal was just the tonic for the Reds following the disappointment of their chastening 3-0 defeat to Exeter City.

With their tails up, Barnsley went in search of a second and soon struck gold. Keillor-Dunn did not need a second invitation after seeing a tame sighter comfortably saved moments earlier. The in-form marksman took Caylan Vickers' fancy flick in his stride before rifling a shot across Roberts and into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The celebration was muted against his former club but Barnsley were otherwise ruthless in the early stages of this festive fixture.

The hosts lost their grip after a defensive lapse allowed Elliott Hewitt to ghost in down the right. His cross was handled at close range by Cleary and Murphy Cooper could only push Reed's spot-kick into the bottom corner.

All of a sudden, the Reds were rocking and looked set to concede another penalty when McLaughlin went down under pressure from Cooper, only for referee Martin Coy to rule in their favour.

Cleary curled a shot wide in stoppage time but Barnsley's early swagger was a distant memory by half-time.

The Reds made a bright start to the second period, Jonathan Bland testing Roberts with a low shot before Kely and Vickers had efforts on goal in quick succession.

But they were soon undone after falling asleep at the back in familiar fashion. Reed's lofted cross-field ball found Hewitt in space on the right and his header back across goal was bravely nodded home by McLaughlin in heavy traffic.

Keillor-Dunn headed wide as Barnsley sought an instant reply from the kick-off but Mansfield sensed a winner themselves.

Lewis spurned a golden opportunity for the visitors at the end of a swift counter-attack, blazing a shot over when he should have done better. He would not pass up a second opportunity, however, squeezing in the rebound after Cooper could only push Will Evans' shot into his path.

Eight minutes of stoppage time offered Barnsley hope but the boos at full-time said it all.

Barnsley: Cooper, Roberts, Shepherd, Vickers (Farrugia 67), Cleary (Russell 85), Kelly, Bland (McGoldrick 85), Earl, Keillor-Dunn, Yoganathan (Phillips 67), Connell. Substitutes unused: Flavell, De Gevigney, Watson.

Goals: Cleary (2), Keillor-Dunn (13).

Mansfield Town: Roberts, McLaughlin, Hewitt, Sweeney, Cargill, Lewis, Evans, Blake-Tracy, Moriah-Welsh, Oshilaja, Reed. Substitutes unused: Mason, Dwyer, Dickov, McAdam, Taylor, Goodman, Chambers.

Goals: Reed (25 pen), McLaughlin (58), Lewis (83).

Referee: Martin Coy (Durham).