Barnsley ended a five-match winless run with a David McGoldrick brace, including a last-gasp strike, in a 2-1 home win over Blackpool.
McGoldrick ended his long goalless run by taking advantage of a goalkeeping mistake midway through the first half but the visitors levelled with 15 minutes left.
McGoldrick won it in the 93rd-minute which moved the Reds up two places to 15th in League One, three points clear of the relegation zone and seven off the top six with several games in hand.
Davis Keillor-Dunn was ill so McGoldrick played up front while new signing Charlie Lennon was not signed in time to play as his medical on Friday afternoon was after the deadline. New signings Owen Goodman – who replaced the departed Murphy Cooper – and Eoghan O’Connell made their debuts with Patrick Kelly back in the 11. Mael de Gevigney and Vimal Yoganathan dropped to the bench. Adam Phillips was captain because Keillor-Dunn, Marc Roberts and the suspended Luca Connell were all out, and the Reds could only name six subs. The Reds played a wing-back formation.
Debutant goalkeeper Goodman missed a corner in the ninth minute but Blackpool’s new signing Kamarl Grant headed wide of the open goal with little time to react.
Barnsley’s first chance arrived in the 20th minute when, after a mistake by Grant, McGoldrick backheeled cleverly to Reyes Cleary who charged down the left and picked out Phillips whose 20-yard effort went just wide of the bottom right corner. Soon after, Cleary twice cut in from the left and saw deflected efforts saved by the goalkeeper easily.
Blackpool should have taken the lead midway through the first half when, after O’Connell missed a long pass, ex-Red Ashley Fletcher set up Tom Bloxham who was denied one-on-one by Goodman before Fletcher shot wide.
Instead it was the hosts who took the lead when visiting goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell inexplicably passed straight to McGoldrick who found the empty net from outside the box for his first goal in 16 league games since August.
Goodman made another good save from Bloxham, tipping a powerful shot from a tight angle out of his top right corner after a flowing move down the right ended in Fletcher playing through his strikepartner.
Jono Bland, who had been booked in the first half and was potentially lucky to escape a second yellow for a similar foul, was taken off at the break for Yoganathan.
Kelly had a big chance to double the lead early in the second half but blazed well over after being picked out in space in the box by Phillips who led a counter-attack.
Goodman easily saved from an Olly Casey header but the equaliser arrived on 75 minutes. After Jack Shepherd skewed a clearance, Cleary tried to keep it in on the left wing but passed straight to Fletcher who swapped passes with George Honyeman then saw his shot deflect off a defender into the bottom right corner. Minutes later a cross hit Fletcher and bounced to Goodman.
Leo Farrell came on for his league debut late on, just after appeals for a penalty on McGoldrick were turned down.
Niall Ennis and Fletcher both could not quite get on the end of dangerous crosses into the box in injury-time. But it was Barnsley who won it when Kelly led a counter from a set piece at the other end and played through McGoldrick who found the bottom right corner.
Barnsley (3-5-2): Goodman; Watson, O’Connell, Shepherd; Bland (Yoganathan HT), Kelly, Phillips, Ogbeta; Cleary (Farrell 86), McGoldrick.
Unused: Flavell, de Gevigney, Gent, Barratt.
Yellow cards: Bland, Phillips.
Goals: McGoldrick 27, 90+3.
Blackpool (3-5-2): Peacock-Farrell; Grant, Casey, Ashworth; Lyons (Banks 50mins), Bowler (Evans 70), Brown (Finnigan 80), Honeyman, Hamilton; Bloxham (Ennis 70), Fletcher.
Unused: Ravizolli, Bondo, Nwankwo.
Yellow cards: Ashworth.
Goals: Fletcher 75.
