Barnsley finished their season with a 4-2 win at promotion-chasing Reading.

Stephen Humphrys and Jon Russell netted early in the second half then, after the hosts pulled one back, Davis Keillor-Dunn added a brace. The hosts pulled one back late on but missed out on sixth place while the Reds finished 12th.

Humphrys returned from injury to replace the benched Adam Phillips, with Jonathan Bland moving into midfield.

Humphrys saw a long-range shot easily saved in the opening minute then Reading’s Amadou Mbengue scuffed a good chance from a free-kick and Joe Gauci got down well to his right to keep out a 20-yard shot by Lewis Wing.

Jon Russell saw a volley tipped over by the home goalkeeper after Josh Earl flicked on Marc Roberts’ long throw from the left.

Reading should have taken the lead on 25 minutes but Harvey Knibbs somehow turned the ball over the bar with goal gaping a few yards out after meeting Wing’s low cross from the left.

Barry Cotter should have put the visitors in front in first half injury-time when he was put clean through by a clever Davis Keillor-Dunn pass but his shot was saved by Joel Pereira diving to his right.

The visitors took the lead early in the second half. Josh Earl swapped passes with Luca Connell then had plenty of space to run up the left wing before slipping in Humphrys whose shot from a tight angle when through the goalkeeper and in.

It was 2-0 a few minutes later. Dexter Lembikisa’s excellent pass picked out Cotter on the right of the box and he volleyed a low cross across the face of goal for Russell to turn in at a tight angle.

The hosts pulled one back midway through the second half when, after an initial attack broke down, substitute Billy Bodin played through Wing who was being played onside by Lembikisa and could find the bottom left corner one-on-one with Gauci.

Jayden Wareham shot well wide from just outside the box but it was Barnsley who scored again. Russell received a pass from Cotter just outside the box and brilliantly slipped in Bland on the right and the teenage got his first assist by picking out Keillor-Dunn to turn in from close range.

The fourth goal saw Lembikisa win the ball high up the pitch and cross which was half cleared but Keillor-Dunn smashed a shot from the right of the box into the bottom left corner.

Graham, 17, made his professional debut as a late replacement for Keillor-Dunn.

Substitute Max Watters should have made it five when he robbed Mamadi Camara of the ball and went clean through but was denied by the goalkeeper.

Bodin smashed in from close range in injury-time after a corner hit Russell, who almost added a fifth but his shot was touched onto the post by the goalkeeper.

Barnsley (4-3-3): Gauci, mark out of ten: 7; Lembikisa 7, de Gevigney 6, Roberts 7, Earl 8; Bland 8, Connell 7 (Phillips 83mins), Russell 8; Cotter 7 (Watters 83), Keillor-Dunn 9 (Graham 90), Humphrys 8 (O’Keeffe 70). Unused: Flavell, Alker, McCarthy.

Yellow cards: Connell, Russell. Goals: Humphrys 52, Russell 56, Keillor-Dunn 79, 85.

Reading (4-3-3): Periera; Rushesha (Yiadom 57mins), Bindon, Mbengue, Garcia (Dorsett); Knibbs, Savage (Carroll 89), Wing, Campbell (Camara 82), Ehibhatiomhan (Bodin 57), Wareham. Unused: Button, Stickland. Yellow cards: Yiadom. Goals: Wing 67, Bodin 90+5. Referee: Carl Brook (Sussex).

Attendance: 21,481 (630 away fans).