[BFC SITE] Barnsley FC 4-3 Lincoln City: Match Report

Barnsley secured a thrilling 4-3 victory over Lincoln City at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon, holding off a late surge from the Imps to claim their third consecutive win in Sky Bet League One.

The Reds made a fast start, and were ahead inside the opening 15 minutes. A long ball forward was not dealt with by the Lincoln City defence, and the alert Davis Keillor-Dunn pounced on the loose ball. Showing great composure, Keillor-Dunn lobbed the goalkeeper to give Barnsley the lead, making it 1-0.

Lincoln were given little time to settle, and Barnsley continued to press. On 30 minutes, Stephen Humphrys did well to stand up Adam Jackson before squaring the ball to Adam Phillips. Phillips, however, couldn't quite generate enough power in his shot to trouble the Lincoln keeper, Zach Jeacock.

Four minutes later, the Reds doubled their advantage. Keillor-Dunn was once again at the heart of the action, showing tenacity to win the ball back and play in Phillips, who kept his cool to smash the ball into the net, making it 2-0.

As the teams went into the break, Barnsley looked in control, leading 2-0 and with all to play for in the second half.

Half-time: Reds 2-0 Lincoln City

The Reds made one change at the interval, with Dexter Lembikisa replacing Corey O’Keeffe, who had been on a yellow card.

On 56 minutes, Barnsley put further distance between themselves and the visitors. Humphrys showed excellent vision to square the ball to Georgie Gent, who took a touch before powering the ball into the top corner. Gent's first goal for Barnsley made it 3-0, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Two minutes later, a double substitution saw Adam Phillips and Stephen Humphrys replaced by Max Watters and Josh Benson, with the fresh legs adding energy to the Reds' attack.

However, the visitors pulled one back through Tendayi Darikwa. Barnsley failed to clear their lines, and Darikwa was on hand to convert, making it 3-1.

Barnsley responded immediately, and on 77 minutes, the Reds restored their three-goal cushion. Winning the ball back in midfield, they broke quickly, with Watters leading a three-on-three counter-attack. The striker opted to go alone, and calmly slotted the ball past Jeacock to make it 4-1.

With the match heading into its final stages, Barnsley made another double switch on 81 minutes, bringing on Clement Rodrigues and Connor Barratt for Keillor-Dunn and Gent.

But Lincoln continued to fight, and on 84 minutes, they scored again. Reeco Hackett broke down the left and arrowed a shot into the bottom corner to make it 4-2.

The drama wasn't over yet, and in the second minute of injury time, Lincoln struck once more. Jovon Makama poked home from close range to reduce the deficit to 4-3, and set up a tense finish.

Despite six minutes of added time, Barnsley held firm, with a resilient defensive display ensuring they secured the three points.

Full-time: Reds 4-3 Lincoln City

Reds: Smith (GK), Russell, Roberts, O'Keeffe (Lembikisa 46'), Phillips (Benson 58'), Gent (Barratt 82'), McCarthy, Earl, Keillor-Dunn (Rodrigues 82'), Humphrys (Watters 59'), Nwakali.

Unused subs: Flavell (GK), Bland.

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