Barnsley FC 4 Lincoln City 3: From sublime to the ridiculous as Reds almost blow it in madcap League One game

Although some things never change. Like needlessly difficult second-halves for Barnsley.

But first, the good. The Imps had won on their past five league visits to Oakwell, with the run stretching back to April 1973. They triumphed 5-1 on their previous game here last March.

Here, here was finally karma for Barnsley, albeit with some late tension they could have seriously gone without.

More importantly, there was another three points at the end of an enriching seven days.

Ahead of this particular trio of games, Darrell Clarke - under pressure a week ago - said that it would be a huge one in the context of the Reds campaign, and maybe possibly his own tenure.

A haul of nine points from nine has revived Barnsley’s season at the most timely of junctures. They are now smelling the play-offs again as they moved past the half-century of poins. They are right back in the game.

The class of Davis Keillor-Dunn came to the fore again. He netted a lovely opener, his 14th of the campaign and was involved in two other goals.

Adam Phillips moved into double figures for he season, while Georgie Gent netted his first for the club on the restart, while substitute Max Watters plundered his first goal since early January.

Barnsley being Barnsley, they made life unnecessarily hard in a second period which saw Tendayi Darikwa and Reeco Hackett reduce the arrears before Jovon Makama fired in a third in stoppage-time to really set the alarm bells reverberating. Old habits die hard.

At the end of a three-game week, a 2-0 interval lead was just what the doctor ordered.

Former Reds defender Adam Jackson came bearing gifts and his old club were the gleeful beneficiaries.

The first offering arrived on 14 minutes.

A routine punt forward saw Jackson challenge Stephen Humphrys in the air. The Imps defender’s miscued header put the visitors in bother and Keillor-Dunn was onto the loose ball in a flash.

With keeper Zach Leacock stranded off his line, Keillor-Dunn didn’t think twice, sending over a deadly and effortless lob into the unguarded net from 20 yards out.

A two-goal cushion was provided on 33 minutes and Jackson was again in the dock.

He slipped when trying to challenge the ever-alert Keillor-Dunn, whose instinctive movement and game intelligence was a feature of the first half.

He slotted in Phillips, who rammed the ball low past Leacock with a clinical angled strike and it was an opportunity he was never going to miss.

Without banned defender Paudie O’Connor, Lincoln looked susceptible at the back.

Despite being without two suspended key players of their own in Mael de Gevigney and Luca Connell, the Reds coped better in their absence - on a day when they were without eight players in total, with Neil Faruggia being the latest entrant to their injured list.

Clarke, who recalled Conor McCarthy and Gent, will have been heartened enough by what he saw following two clinical moments.

Lincoln had enough of the ball, but couldn’t really make the most of it. They had some semi-dangerous moments, but Barnsley looked the more threatening and convincing.

Before the opener, Phillips almost got on the end of Josh Earl’s pinpoint cross ahead of the home opener.

At the other end, a left-wing cross from Dom Jefferies just missed out Ben House at the far post before a nice move ended with Phillips’ first-time connection being straight at Jeacock.

Barnsley’s second in front of the Ponty End was well received, before Jackson Smith, on his home debut, got a finger-tip to Jefferies cross-shot, with the half ending with a wayward strike from Freddie Draper.

Lincoln’s players got the treatment when they walked back to the dressing rooms in the North Stand, while Barnsley were mindful that the game was hardly over, given their second-half numbers this term.

Corey O’Keefe, on a booking for a wild challenge on Sean Roughlan, failed to appear for the second half with Dexter Lembikisa coming on.

The settler that Barnsley often need on the resumption came early, refreshingly.

Again, it did not picture the Imps rearguard in a good light.

Humphrys, who played a part in all three opening goals, found some wriggle room on the right to beat Roughlan and his low cross was spilled by Jeacock and wasn’t cleared, with Gent firing in at the far post.

It was the prelude to a triple substitution from a presumably unamused Michael Skubala.

Phillips and Humphrys made way for the Reds before Lincoln were provided hope, courtesy of Barnsley’s third goalscorer.

Gent failed to clear with a cross and Darikwa fired in from close in.

Suddenly, Lincoln’s punters had some hope, with Smith called into action to parry a venomous shot from Hackett.

It was now about game management for the Reds, with Clarke likely to have been unhappy with that soft concession to tarnish a good day up to then.

The next set of developments went down rather better with substitute Watters sealing any nerves, seemingly, in the final quarter by making it 4-1 after good work by fellow replacement Benson. It proved the key goal.

A eventful half continued with Hackett netting an impressive second for Lincoln late on. A confidence low drive after getting away from Earl.

A scruffy concession then saw Makama fire in from close in afer some panicking defensive traits. They held out and the final whistle were greeted with relief..

Barnsley: Smith; McCarthy, Roberts, Earl; Nwakali; O’Keeffe (Lembikisa 46), Phillips, Russell (Benson 58), Gent (Barratt 82); Humphrys (Watters 58), Keillor-Dunn (Rodrigues 82). Substitutes unused: Flavell, Bland.

Lincoln City: Jeacock, Montsma, Jackson, Roughlan; McGrandles (Gardner 73), Darikwa (Hamer 80), Hamilton (Hackett 55), Bayliss, Jefferies, House (Makama 55), Draper (Collins 55). Substitutes unused: Wickens, Clucas.

Referee: S Oldham (Lancs).

Attendance: 11,914 (1,217 Lincoln fans).