Barnsley lost a 3-1 lead in a 4-3 defeat at Leyton Orient on Good Friday which was Conor Hourihane’s first match as permanent head coach.

Stephen Humphrys netted twice in the first 20 minutes then, after Orient pulled one back early in the second half, Davis Keillor-Dunn made it 3-1.

But promotion-chasing Orient scored three times between 68 and 74 minutes as Barnsley capitulated defensively.

The Reds have won just one of their last nine games and four of the most recent 18, and slipped down a place in the table to 12th.

The Reds announced at 10.30am that Hourihane had been named permanent head coach after six games as interim boss.

Hourihane named an unchanged team from the 4-1 win over Bolton six days earlier but but fit-again duo Josh Benson and Joe Gauci replaced Adam Hayton and Clement Rodrigues on the bench.

Kieren Flavell easily held the league’s top-scorer Charlie Kelman’s 20-yard shot after Jonathan Bland made a mess of a long pass in the second minute. But Barnsley then had a very good spell.

Humphrys hit the side netting with a deflected shot on the left after a fine move involved a one, two between Josh Earl and Adam Phillips, but he scored from the resulting corner.

Davis Keillor-Dunn’s corner was headed by Jon Russell against goalkeeper Josh Keeley and Humphrys turned it in from a few inches out.

Seven minutes later, the same player scored again – going clean through amid calls of offside to volley past the goalkeeper after Marc Roberts headed on a Keillor-Dunn pass following a cleared corner.

Orient came back into the game and Jamie Donley sent a low free-kick just wide of the bottom left corner then Flavell made a good save with his legs from Dan Agyei, after a long throw was not defended well, and Darren Pratley also headed wide.

Humphrys went for a hat-trick with a 30-yard shot but it was tipped out of the bottom right corner by Keeley.

Orient almost pulled one back just before the break. After Bland lost a header to Donley, Kelman went clean through and, under pressure from Connell, clipped the ball over Flavell but against the post. Seconds later, Donley volleyed straight at the goalkeeper when well-placed in the box.

The second half began in frantic fashion. Orient pulled a goal back when, after a good move down the right, Ethan Galbraith’s 20-yard shot hit Conor McCarthy’s foot and span into the bottom left corner.

Kelman then dragged a shot from the right of the box wide while, at the other end, Keillor-Dunn went clean through from a Flavell goal kick but was denied one-on-one by the goalkeeper.

Dan Agyei headed a left-wing cross over and Jordan Brown’s effort was easily saved as he shot while running away from goal after Kelman beat McCarthy and crossed.

But it was the visitors who scored next as, after a Flavell goal kick was missed by Omar Beckles, Keillor-Dunn supplied a cool finish from a tight angle on the left of the box.

The Reds then conceded in the 68th, 72nd and 74th minutes as they fell apart defensively. Kelman pulled one back from a few yards out sliding in after Donley ran onto an Agyei pass on the right and whipped in a low cross.

The equaliser saw Fabio Jalo give the ball away then Kelman was played through down the left, held it up and squared for substitute Sean Clare to impressively find the bottom left corner from the edge of the box.

Two minutes later, a left-wing corner fell for Beckles whose bobbling shot hit Earl and nestled in the bottom left corner.

Substitute Dilan Markanday and Donley shot wide as Barnsley were ridiculously open at the back and lost the ball often.

The shell-shocked Reds created no chances to level.

Barnsley (4-3-3): Flavell; Bland (O’Keeffe 82), Roberts, McCarthy, Earl; Phillips (Benson 82) Connell, Russell; Jalo (Cotter 75), Keillor-Dunn, Humphrys (Lembikisa 71).

Unused: Gauci, O’Keeffe,, Lewis, Lembikisa, Nwakali.

Yellow cards: Roberts, Phillips, Bland.

Goals: Humphrys 11, 18, Keillor-Dunn 64.

Orient (4-3-3): Keeley; Galbraith, Edmonds-Green, Beckles, Currie; Brown, Donley, Pratley (Clarke HT),: Williams (Abdulai 86), Kelman (Cooper 86), Agyei (Markanday 78).

Unused: Phillips, Ball Jaiyesimi,

Goals: Galbraith 40, Kelman 68, Clare 72, Beckles 74.