Barnsley made it three wins in a week after surviving a late comeback to beat Lincoln City 4-3 at home on Saturday in a remarkable match.

Goals by Davis Keillor-Dunn and Adam Phillips had the Reds 2-0 up at half-time then Georgie Gent added another early in the second half. The visitors replied then Max Watters made it 4-1 before two late goals made it a very nervous finish.

Barnsley stayed tenth and the gap to sixth remained four points.

Darrell Clarke made two enforced changes to the side from the midweek win at Northampton. Georgie Gent replaced Neil Farrugia, who was not in the squad, while Conor McCarthy came in for the suspended Mael de Givegney. Youngsters Connor Barratt and Jonathan Bland – who was recalled from a loan at Peterborough Sports the previous day – were on the bench.

After a quiet start, Keillor-Dunn opened the scoring on 13 minutes when, after a long ball was headed towards goal by a defender, he spotted the goalkeeper off his line and brilliantly lobbed him from 20 yards.

Barnsley put some good moves together including when, after a deft Keillor-Dunn touch, Phillips passed to Stephen Humphrys who found him in the box and he stabbed a shot from ten yards out which was straight at the goalkeeper.

Phillips did score soon after when, after Keillor-Dunn was gifted the ball by a defender, he played Phillips through on the right of the box to smash home emphatically from close range.

Lincoln’s first real chance arrived just before half-time when Conor McGrandles released Dom Jefferies on the left and his shot from a tight angle in the box was touched wide by home debutant Jackson Smith in goal. They then had an even better chance when Tom Bayliss’ header put Freddie Draper clean through but he blazed horribly over.

Overall, Barnsley had been easily the better side in the first half.

They made a change at the break with Corey O’Keeffe replaced by Dexter Lembikisa.

Gent made it three with his first goal in English football. It was an excellent move as Phillips headed on a long ball to Keillor-Dunn who flicked it impressively behind him into the path of Humphrys who burst into the box and crossed which was touched by the goalkeeper to Gent and he blasted in after taking a touch.

Gent then made a mistake to give the visitors a goal as he made a mess of a cross from the left and Tendayi Darikwa smashed in from a few yards out.

Smith then dived to his right to keep out a long-range Reeco Hackett shot as Lincoln enjoyed a period of pressure. But Watters added a fourth when, after fellow substitute Josh Benson won the ball near halfway off Jefferies, he charged to the edge of the box and found the bottom left corner with an outstanding finish.

Hackett scored a second for the visitors when, after a throw dropped to him, he burst from near halfway down the left into the box and fired into the bottom right corner.

It was almost 4-3 as Jovon Makama went through on goal but was denied by a big Smith save. Makama pulled one back in injury-time after debutant Barratt failed to clear a high ball in the box, following a short corner worked into the area from the left.

Barnsley (3-5-2): Smith; McCarthy, Roberts, Earl; O’Keeffe (Lembikisa HT), Phillips (Benson 59mins), Nwakali, Russell, Gent (Barratt 82); Keillor-Dunn (Rodrigues 82) , Humphrys (Watters 59).

Unused: Flavell, Bland.

Yellow cards: O’Keeffe.

Goals: Keillor-Dunn 13, Phillips 34, Gent 56, Watters 77.

Lincoln (3-5-2): Jeacock; Montsma, Jackson, Roughan; Darikwa (Hamer 81mins), Bayliss, McGrandles (Gardner 73), Hamilton (Hackett 55), Jefferies; Draper (Collins 55), House (Makama 55).

Yellow cards: Jefferies.

Unused: Wickens, Hamer, Clucas, Gardner.

Goals: Darikwa 67, Hackett 84, Makama 90+2.