Barnsley were humiliated at Crawley Town as they lost 5-1 in their first match following Danny Wilson's sacking.

A side put together by caretakers Mark Burton and Paul Heckingbottom played well in the first half but conceded either side of half-time then again just before the hour.

Substitute Kane Hemmings pulled one back but the hosts scored two more to complete a miserable afternoon for the Reds who have lost their last seven on the road in the league. Barnsley slipped down to 19th in League One, four points off the relegation zone and eight away from the play-off places.

The caretakers made three changes to the side that lost to Fleetwood on Tuesday in Wilson's final match in charge. Young full-backs George Smith and Mason Holgate came in along with veteran striker Leroy Lita while Peter Ramage dropped out of the squad due to injury with Kane Hemmings and Jean Yves M'voto benched.

Barnsley began brightly with home goalkeeper Lewis Price making good saves from headers by Martin Cranie and Mason Holgate.Cranie allowed Izale McLeod to go through on goal but got back to collect the striker's weak shot after it went past goalkeeper Ross Turnbull.

McLeod made no mistake on the stroke of half-time when he lobbed Turnbull after Matthias Pgoba's flick from a long ball put him clean through. It was 2-0 three minutes into the second half when Lee Fowler's free-kick caused chaos in the Barnsley box and Sonny Bradley tapped into the gaping net from six yards out.

The third goal came just before the hour mark when Marvin Elliott was not picked up by the Reds defence and headed in.

Barnsley then made a triple substitution with Hemmings, Rhys Oates and M'voto replacing Smith, Lita and George Waring. Hemmings pulled one back within five minutes as he headed in from six yards out after Oates nodded a Holgate cross back across goal.

Crawley then missed a superb chance as substitute Gavin Tomlin hit the post from a yard out after Turnbull saved from McLeod. But it was 4-1 on 73 minutes when Lewin Nyatanga inexplicably miscontrolled the ball and allowed McLeod to run onto it and beat Turnbull.

The fifth goal came with five to play when Crawley broke following a Josh Scowen error and, after Turnbull denied Lewis Young, McLeod completed his hat-trick and Barnsley's humiliation.