David McGoldrick scored a sensational hat-trick as Barnsley ended an eight-game wait for an away win with a 3-1 success at lowly Leyton Orient on Saturday lunchtime.

McGoldrick opened the scoring but the hosts levelled soon after then the 38-year-old netted twice early in the second half.

The Reds moved up two places to 13th in League One, eight points off sixth and nine clear of the bottom four ahead of the 3pm games.

It was a deserved win for the visitors whose last league victory on the road was in November at Doncaster.

Conor Hourihane made three changes from the loss at Huddersfield a week earlier. He dropped Jack Shepherd to the bench for a league game for the first time, bringing in Mael de Gevigney at centre-back while Tennai Watson replaced Georgie Gent at left-back. Jono Bland came in for Scott Banks with Adam Phillips on the right wing in a 4-2-3-1 system.

Orient were on top for the first ten minutes but only had a Sean Clare 25-yard effort which was easily saved. Barnsley netted with their first attack when Kaelan Casey gave the ball to Patrick Kelly who found Phillips on the right of the box and his nicely-weighted cross was met by McGoldrick about 12 yards out and he found the bottom left corner.

The equaliser arrived on 20 minutes when Dylan Levitt’s low 25-yard free-kick went past the wall and under Owen Goodman’s left glove. It was a poor error by the goalkeeper but there had been sloppy play in the build-up with Bland conceding a free-kick which he cleared against de Gevigney then McGoldrick immediately conceded another free-kick from which the hosts levelled.

Orient appealed for a penalty for handball by Eoghan O’Connell but the referee did not give it then, at the other end, a poor Dan Happe clearance let Kelly find McGoldrick in the box but his shot was well-blocked by Casey.

Ollie O’Neill sent a diving header wide from a Dom Ballard cross then Barnsley’s Kelly and Orient’s Levitt both had long-range shots easily saved. Home captain Will Forrester put the ball in the net after meeting a cross that was flicked on but was rightly ruled offside.

In the second half, Luca Connell shot just wide of the top right corner from 25 yards after a fine run. The second goal arrived on 53 minutes when, after a short corner on the right, O’Keeffe’s cross was punched by goalkeeper Will Dennis straight to McGoldrick who found the empty bottom left corner from the edge of the box.

Barnsley were on top with Phillips putting Reyes Cleary through on the left of the box but his shot was pushed away by goalkeeper Dennis who then also saved an O’Keeffe shot from the right of the box.

Kelly came off injured just before the hour and was replaced by Vimal Yoganathan. It was 3-1 on 62 minutes when Orient lost the ball in the middle and Yoganathan found Cleary whose cross was left by Phillips to McGoldrick whose shot deflected up onto the bar and span back into the net. He almost added a fourth soon after but volleyed over after meeting a Bland header into the box.

Orient had a better spell at 3-1 down. Goodman made a fine save diving to his left to keep out a long-range effort by home substitute Josh Koroma. Dan Happe then shot just wide inside the box from a low Morris cross. Koroma headed wide from a Tom James cross.

Barnsley (4-2-3-1): Goodman; O’Keeffe, O’Connell, de Gevigney, Watson; Connell, Bland, Phillips (Shepherd 76mins), Kelly (Yoganathan 58mins), Cleary (Banks 66), McGoldrick (Bradshaw 76).

Unused: Flavell, Gent, Lennon.

Yellow cards: Phillips.

Goals: McGoldrick 10, 53, 62.

Orient (3-4-2-1): Dennis; Casey, Forrester, Happe (Archibald 58mins); Craig, Levitt (James 79), Clare (Abdulai 58), Morris; O’Neill (Wellens 67), Fawunmi (Koroma 67); Ballard.

Unused: Cahill, Perkins, Wellens.

Yellow cards: Abdulai.

Goals: Levitt 20.