Barnsley came from behind late on to win 3-2 at home against Leyton Orient on Saturday.
The Red started well and took the lead through Reyes Cleary but trailed 2-1 at the break after two poor defensive mistakes in eight minutes. Substitute Jon Russell levelled late on then Davis Keillor-Dunn scored a late winner.
The Reds are eighth, four points off the top six with two games in hand.
Suspended captain Luca Connell was replaced by Neil Farrugia who made his first league start under Conor Hourihane and played on the right wing with Adam Phillips and Vimal Yoganathan the holding midfielders.
Barnsley created a good chance in the fourth minute when Cleary beat his marker and crossed low into the box for the unmarked Jono Bland but he totally missed the ball.
The opener came soon as, after fine work on the right wing by Patrick Kelly to beat two players and crossed, Cleary’s shot found the bottom right corner.
Farrugia shot just over the bar from outside the box after cutting in from the right then, after Omar Beckles was robbed of the ball in his half, Kelly burst into the box and saw a shot well blocked by defender Jack Simpson.
The equaliser came totally against the run of play for Orient who had badly struggled before then. Phillips’ powerful pass back to Cooper was brought down by the goalkeeper and Ollie O’Neill was given the ball before being tripped by Cooper. Dom Ballard found the net from the spot.
Barnsley looked badly rattled and Ballard nearly had another minutes later when he latched onto a long ball in the box but dragged a shot just wide of the bottom right corner.
The second goal saw Yoganathan, who had been given the ball by a risky Mael de Gevigney pass, lose it to James Moorhouse who played through O’Neill to beat a man in the box and shoot into the bottom left corner.
The Reds started the second half well. Farrugia headed wide at the back post from a Cleary cross after a fine Kelly pass then, after Cleary’s low cross was pushed away the goalkeeper and there was a scramble in the box, Keillor-Dunn shot just wide. Cleary then hit the base of the right post after being put clean through by another fine Kelly pass.
The equaliser arrived on 78 minutes when a free-kick was played to Cleary on the left and he volleyed across for Russell to volley into the bottom corner for his first league goal of the season.
De Gevigney gifted visiting substitute Alfie Lloyd the ball int the box but recovered to block the shot.
Visiting defender Tom James inexplicably passed the ball straight to Cleary in the box and he squared for Keillor-Dunn to tap into an empty net.
Orient had the ball in the net in injury-time through Lloyd but he was judged to have fouled Shepherd. Russell then made a mess of a clearance and after some nice interplay, O’Neill blazed over on the left of the box. Tyreeq Bakinson then headed wide.
Barnsley (4-2-3-1): Cooper; Bland, de Gevigney, Shepherd, Watson; Phillips, Yoganathan (Russell 62); Farrugia (Vickers 66), Kelly, Cleary (Roberts 90+2); Keillor-Dunn.
Unused: Smith, Roberts, McGoldrick, Jalo, Earl.
Yellow cards: Cooper.
Goals: Cleary 7; Russell 78; Keillor-Dunn 86.
Orient (3-5-2): Cahill; Simpson, Beckles, Happe; Craig (Clare 59 mins), Bakinson, Moorhouse (James 74), O’Neill, Adaramola (Archibald 90); Perkins (Wellens 59), Ballard (Lloyd 74).
Unused: Simkin, Jaiyesimi.
Yellow cards: O’Neill, Craig, Bakinson.
Goals: Ballard (pen) 30; O’Neill 38.
