Luton netted in the second and fifth minutes then added another just after the half-hour mark as the Reds played very poorly in the first half. The home side were much better after the break and replied through Mallik Wilks but eventually were beaten. 

The Reds had not lost in 29 league games at Oakwell since March 2018, a run that lasted 545 days. They have now not won in five games, losing four, since the opening day win over Fulham. 

Cauley Woodrow was still injured but there were two changes to the side that lost 2-0 at Birmingham City on Tuesday. Dani Pinillos replaced Ben Williams at left-back and Mallik Wilks came in for Conor Chaplin. Mamadou Thiam played up front on his own with Mike Bahre just behind him in a 4-4-1-1 formation. 

Barnsley were firmly second best in the first half, shell-shocked by their disastrous start, and – although they had a couple of chances – the rampant visitors could have been further ahead at the break. 

Jacob Butterfield, who played 100 games for the Reds after coming through their academy, blasted a 20-yard strike into the bottom left corner with just 80 seconds on the clock after Bambo Diaby blocked an Andrew Shinnie effort inside the box following a good move down the right flank.

It was 2-0 in the fifth minute when goalkeeper Sami Radlinger missed a cross from the left, leaving his goal exposed, and the ball was passed across the six-yard box by ex-Red James Bree for James Collins to turn in from close range. 

Radlinger prevented a third goal in the 18th minute with an excellent save using his left foot to divert wide a Collins effort which was a redirection of a shot by another former Barnsley player Ryan Tunnicliffe following a good run down the right by Kazenga Lua Lua. 

Radlinger also denied Harry Cornick from a tight angle on the left of the box then fumbled a shot by Bree and had to scramble to gather the ball and stop it being turned in by waiting Luton attackers. 

It was 3-0 on 31 minutes when Cornick smashed in a powerful left-footed strike from 15 yards out after a Shinnie free-kick from the left was not cleared properly. 

Wilks thought he had pulled one back when his header following Cameron McGeehan’s corner was clawed out by Simon Sluga with the Barnsley forward claiming it went over the line. Thomas then blazed over from just inside the area on the right after bringing down a cross by Alex Mowatt.

Stendel made two changes at the break, bringing on left-back Williams for Pinillos and introducing winger Jordan Green at right-back for Mads Andersen with Toby Sibbick moving from the right to centre-back. 

The home fans were extremely loud for their team when the match restarted after the interval, and were almost rewarded when Thiam narrowly headed wide from a McGeehan corner. Thiam then forced Sluga into a good save, diving to his left, after Thomas won the ball off Luke Bolton and played the Frenchman in on the left of the box. 

Luton thought they had a fourth when a free-kick was headed down to Collins who volleyed in but the offside flag was raised. Thiam then had a third chance of the second half when he latched onto a long ball from Bambo Diaby on the left of the box but Sluga saved the shot from a tight angle. 

Diaby had to leave the field through injury midway through the second half and was replaced by Aapo Halme. The Reds got the goal their second half performance had warranted on 72 minutes when Wilks fired in a low shot from close range after a good low cross from the left by Mowatt. It was his first goal for the club.  

Sluga had to dive to his left to push away a long-range low effort by Mowatt whose resulting corner was headed narrowly wide by Wilks. Thiam had another chance in the 89th minute but blazed over the bar 12 yards out after good work on the right by Green and Thomas. 

Barnsley (4-4-1-1): Radlinger; Sibbick, Andersen (Green HT), Diaby (Halme 67mins), Pinillos (Williams HT); Thomas, McGeehan, Mowatt, Wilks; Bahre; Thiam. Unused: Collins, Schmidt, Oduor, Chaplin. Yellow cards: Diaby, Bahre.  Goals: Wilks 72. 

Luton: Sluga; Bolton, Pearson, Bradley, Bree (Galloway 90+3mins); Tunnicliffe, Shinnie, Butterfield; LuaLua (Mpanzu 82mins), Collins, Cornick (Lee 85).  Unused: Shea, Mpanzu, Moncur, Brown, Galloway, Jones.  Yellow cards: Lua Lua.  Goals: Butterfield 2, Collins 5, Cornick 31.