Barnsley FC 1 Lincoln City 5: No case for defence as ravaged Reds go to pieces against bogey side

After a tough finish in midweek against a direct promotion rival, one of the last sides Barnsley would have wanted to bump into next was Lincoln City, who had been beaten just once in their last seven outings against the Reds, whose last Oakwell league victory against them was in 1973.

The Imps and Barnsley still came into the game with their status intact as one of the division’s form sides.

On the day, Lincoln lived up to that billing, while boosting their own hopes of gatecrashing the play-offs with an emphatic win, which was torrid from a Barnsley perspective.

Leading at the interval thanks to an early goal from Joe Taylor, Michael Skubala’s side secured victory with two quick-fire early second-half goals from substitute Jack Moylan and Daniel Mandriou as Barnsley’s rearguard - without Donovan Pines who was out with a knock - went to pieces.

The afternoon became a humiliating one when Moylan’s second of the game, a cracker, made it 4-0 on 72 minutes.

Adam Phillips did find the net for the third straight home game - with his fifth in three Oakwell outings. But Lincoln weren’t finished with substitute Jovon Makama adding a fifth straightaway for City.

A nightmare day was compounded by a tenth booking of the season for Herbie Kane, who will miss the club’s next two matches against Carlisle and Cheltenham.

Of greatest concern was Barnsley’s awful defensive performance. They had now recorded just one clean sheet in their last 19 league matches, which is a lamentable record for a promotion contender, let alone an automatic one

They were shambolic in that regard on Saturday.

From the off, it was easy to see why Lincoln - well coached and with energy, belief and sharpness to boot - had gone ten matches unbeaten since New Year’s Day.

They were out of the traps quickly, backed by their noisy 1,900 travelling support. Their impressive start was rewarded by Taylor’s strike 15 minutes in and there was distinct unease among the home punters at developments in the opening 25 minutes or so.

It was thoroughly understandable.

Thankfully, Barnsley took the hint and started to up their intensity after a passive opening and ask some questions of their own at last.

Their best moment came with a short free-kick routine ending in a fierce low drive from Phillips - player of the moment after scooping the division’s player of the month gong for February - being kept out by Imps keeper Lukas Jensen.

The key development arrived from the visitors when Barnsley were caught out by a ball over the top. It found Lasse Sorensen on the right and his low cross found an unmarked Taylor, who confidently fired the ball past Liam Roberts.

Taylor almost added a second with Roberts doing superbly to keep out his volley, low down at full-stretch after Lincoln profited from Mael de Gevigney’s initial error.

Gradually, Barnsley came into the game and pushed back Lincoln, with Nicky Cadden being a particular threat on the left.

At the break, Lincoln had the lead and were entitled to be more happier with events after they set about Barnsley from the start and mixed up play well.

Good work by Reeco Hackett-Fairchild and ex-Reds under-21s loanee Ethan Erhahon provided the first chance for Ben House, whose shot was grasped by Roberts, but the home custodian could do nothing about Lincoln’s opener.

Barnsley were certainly in the game but they were the ones with the work to do in the second period, given Lincoln’s fine defensive record as well.

Given some late Reds pressure, the interval had been timely for the Imps and it was they who had the best chance at the start of the second half with danger man Sorensen squaring the ball to Daniel Mandroiu, whose goalbound strike fortunately hit a team-mate, from Barnsley’s perspective.

After another slow start to a half, Collins was proactive and replaced Kane - who had a distinct off-day - and John McAtee with Conor Grant and Sam Cosgrove.

Instead, a testing afternoon got a whole load worse and the hosts imploded in a defensive sense.

Jordan Williams failed to clear his lines and the error was compounded by Grant with the ball arriving to Moylan, who wriggled past Mael de Gevigney and Luca Connell far too easily before coolly steering the ball past Roberts.

Soon after, Lincoln sealed the deal following more fitful defending, with Neill Collins entitled to be furious.

Barnsley were caught again with Taylor slipping the ball to Mandroiu, left totally unmarked by De Gevigney.

The midfield kept his composure admirably to slalom past a couple of challenges before clinically firing home.

A strike from distance from Moylan, his second, made it 4-0.

Phillips netted a splendid late goal for Barnsley on the half-volley following a cross from substitute Corey O’Keeffe, but it was scant consolation.

Suitably irked, Lincoln soon created more havoc straightaway with Moylan bamboozling De Gevigney again. After his shot was kept out by Roberts, Makama gobbled up the rebound.

A chant of ‘We want six’ came from Lincoln’s followers. Mercifully, there was no further punishment for the ragged Reds.

Barnsley: Roberts; De Gevigney, McCart, Earl; Williams, Connell (Russell 78), Phillips, Kane (Grant 53), Cadden (O’Keeffe 53); McAtee (Cosgrove 67), Cole (Marsh 67). Unused substitutes: Killip, Cotter.

Lincoln City: Jensen, Mitchell, O’Connor, Roughan; Sorensen, Mandriou (Burroughs 83), Erhahon; Hackett-Fairchild (Duffy 83); Taylor (Eyoma 74), House (Makama 73), Draper (Moylan 45). Unused substitutes: Wright, Jackson.

Referee: B Atkinson (London).

Attendance: 14,158 (1,965 Lincoln supporters).