Barnsley suffered a fourth successive loss as they were beaten 3-1 at Bolton Wanderers who had started the day at the bottom of the Championship.
Bolton took the lead midway through the first half but Barnsley levelled a minute later when Tom Bradshaw won and scored a penalty. The hosts were given a spot-kick just before the break and retook the lead then added another midway through the second half.
That result saw the Reds fall down one place to 19th, four points clear of the relegation zone.
Paul Heckingbottom made four changes to the side that lost 3-0 at Reading on Tuesday with Zeki Fryers, Gary Gardner, Ike Ugbo and Angus MacDonald dropping out for Jason McCarthy, Matty Pearson, Adam Hammill and Tom Bradshaw.
Bolton started on top and almost took the lead through a Gary Madine header which went over the bar on 17 minutes. But they went in front four minutes later when the same player tapped in on the line after Mark Little burst into the visitors' box and fired a low pass across the goal.
Less than a minute later Barnsley had a penalty as Bradshaw was brought down in the box following a good counter-attack led by Brad Potts' powerful run with the ball. The Reds' top-scorer converted for his tenth goal of the season.
Bolton thought they should have had two penalties after Pearson appeared to trip Josh Vela in the box and Will Buckley looked to have been pulled back by McCarthy. Referee Oliver Langford had awarded a controversial penalty against Pearson at Millwall in September after which Heckingbottom walked onto the pitch to talk to him at half-time and received a two-game ban.
Eventually the hosts were given a spot-kick when Buckley seemed to throw himself theatrically to the ground under a challenge from Liam Lindsay, after Matty Pearson had made a mess of a clearance and a penalty box scramble ensued. Madine sent the penalty low into the middle of the net to make it 2-1 on 40 minutes.
Bradshaw headed a Hammill cross over the bar in first half injury-time and Barnsley went into the break trailing.
Barnsley started the second half well and George Moncur had a 15-yard shot saved by former Reds goalkeeper Ben Alnwick diving low to his left. They came even closer when Barnsley-born Bolton defender Mark Beevers lost the ball and Bradshaw went clean through but Alnwick saved then Hammill's rebound header looked sure to be turned in by Potts almost on the line but the ball appeared to just hit the Reds midfielder then was cleared.
But it was the hosts who got the vital fourth goal when Little skipped around Yiadom far too easily before firing into the bottom left corner from just inside the box. Home substitute Adam Armstrong, who spent last season with the Reds, almost made it 4-1 when he fired just wide of the right post with a low 25-yard effort.
Barnsley tried to get back into the match with Potts, playing on the right after Mamadou Thiam was brought on to play with Bradshaw in a 4-4-2, forced a good save out of Alnwick with a 15-yard shot from a tight angle.
Thiam then fired wide via a deflection from ten yards out after exchanging passes with fellow substitute Ryan Hedges at the end of a good move. Thiam then created an even better opportunity for himself by skipping around a defender in the home box to go one-on-one with Alnwick who saved the shot which was straight at him.
Bradshaw then headed over from McCarthy's cross and Alnwick saved again from Bradshaw in injury-time after a goalmouth scramble following a corner.
AS IT HAPPENED 16:57pm: Full-time: Bolton 3, Barnsley 1. A fourth straight loss for the Reds.
16:55pm: 90+3 It's just not going in for Barnsley. They have a scramble in the home box after a corner but Alnwick saves from Bradshaw's shot which is powerful and central
16:50pm: Cameron McGeehan is coming on for Joe Williams. Barnsley still 3-1 down
16:50pm: That's seven added minutes of injury-time
16:47pm: 87 Tom Bradshaw heads over from a McCarthy cross. Barnsley are having plenty of chances but are running out of time
16:45pm: 85 Thiam has another great chance after skipping around a defender to go one-on-one with Alnwick but his shot is too close to goalkeeper who saves
16:39pm: 80 Thiam fires wide from ten yards out after exchanging passes with Hedges at the end of a good move
16:35pm: 75 Potts turns in the box and fires a shot which Alnwick does well to beat away at his near post
16:32pm: 73 Ryan Hedges is coming on for Harvey Barnes
16:31pm: 70 Ex-Red Adam Armstrong fires just wide of the right post with a low 25-yard shot. This is looking bad for Barnsley
16:30pm: The Bolton right-back skips around Andy Yiadom all too easily and fires into the bottom left corner on 69 minutes
16:29pm: Bolton 3, Barnsley 1. Mark Little
16:27pm: Thiam is coming on for Adam Hammill so the Reds will rearrange into a 4-4-2 with Brad Potts on the right wing
16:26pm: Barnsley fans are starting to sing the name of Mamadou Thiam
16:25pm: 1,281 Barnsley fans here
16:23pm: Barnsley have been a lot better in the second half and really should have levelled. It is becoming a bit scrappy now with the referee dishing out plenty of bookings. A Bolton player is currently down receiving treatment so play is stopped
16:21pm: 61 Adam Armstrong is coming on for Will Buckley
16:18pm: 58 How have Barnsley not scored there? A mistake by Barnsley-born Mark Beevers puts Bradshaw through but Alnwick saves then Hammill's rebound header looks sure to be turned in by Potts two yards out but it hits him and is cleared off the line.
16:15pm: Barnsley's Brad Potts and Bolton's Darren Pratley both booked after a little squabble on the touchline
16:14pm: 54 Moncur has a 15-yard shot saved by Ben Alnwick, diving to his left to push it away. That was after a good run from Moncur and a one-two with Harvey Barnes
16:10pm: Five minutes into what has been a quiet second half so far. Tom Bradshaw has had a shot blocked in the box after a good run by McCarthy
16:05pm: THE SECOND HALF IS UNDERWAY
16:04pm: It doesn't look as though any changes will be made as Barnsley come back onto the pitch
16:02pm: Paul Heckingbottom made three changes at half-time at Reading. That seems unlikely today but he must be thinking about introducing the threat of Mamadou Thiam upfront and changing to a 4-4-2 again
15:51pm: The good news for Barnsley is that Tom Bradshaw scored his tenth goal of the season, and the Reds' first in more than five and a half hours of football . The bad news is that Gary Madine netted either side of that penalty to secure a deserved lead going into the break
15:49pm: HALF-TIME: Bolton 2, Barnsley 1.
15:47pm: 45+1 Bradshaw heads a Hammill cross over the bar after another good counter-attack
15:46pm: Three minutes of added time in the first half
15:39pm: Bolton 2, Barnsley 1. Gary Madine penalty
15:39pm: Liam Lindsay on Will Buckley after a goalmouth scramble caused by. poor Pearson clearance
15:38pm: Bolton penalty
15:36pm: The game has settled down now after a frantic period between 20 and 25 minutes. Bolton have had more attacks and chances but Barnsley are level at 1-1
15:32pm: To recap: Bolton think they should have had two penalties after Pearson appeared to trip Josh Vela in the box and Will Buckley looked to have been pulled back by McCarthy.
15:26pm: Brad Potts led the attack for the goal then laid the ball off for Bradshaw, who now has ten goals for the season
15:25pm: Barnsley had barely threatened before going behind but, 30 seconds later, they had a penalty after a swift counterattack and clear foul on Bradshaw
15:24pm: Now Bolton want a penalty for a drag back by McCarthy on Madine. The game has come to life
15:24pm: 'you're not singing anymore' comes the chant from the way fans
15:22pm: Bolton 1. Barnsley 1. Tom Bradshaw with a penalty after he was fouled
15:22pm: Penalty Barnsley
15:22pm: Gary Madine with the goal. He tapped in on the line after Sammy Ameobi burst into the box from the right wide and sent in a low cross
15:21pm: Bolton 1, Barnsley 0
15:20pm: Bolton have probably shaded the opening 20 minutes but are yet to test Davies. Barnsley have been a bit sloppy in possession so far
15:18pm: 17 First real chance of the game, Gary Madine heads wide from a cross by Vela. He should really have hit the target from about eight yards out
15:15pm: There's a break in play here as a Bolton player has treatment. Heckingbottom is having a word with Yiadom and Lindsay
15:14pm: Bolton have a much taller team than Barnsley, while their average age is 28 compared to 23 for Barnsley
15:10pm: 9 Bolton appeal for a penalty after Matty Pearson tackled Josh Vela in the box but the referee is unmoved. It was more of an appeal from the fans than the players
15:07pm: 5 - Bolton have the first shot of the game but it is straight at Davies from 30 yards
15:02pm: Barnsley fans already signing for Jason McCarthy. He's a real fan favourite so his return after six games out of the starting 11 will be a popular move
15:00pm: WE'RE UNDERWAY
14:59pm: The players are out on the pitch and kick-off is only a minute or two away
14:54pm: Both Bolton’s two league wins this season have come at the Macron Stadium, formerly the Reebok Stadium. Barnsley have never won there, with four draws and two defeats on their last six visits. Their 18 league trips to Bolton have brought just two victories. The Reds have not beaten the Trotters in ten meetings home or away, losing five of the last six.
14:51pm: Heckingbottom basically pointed out pre-match that Bolton are a very direct side, just like in their glory days under Sam Allardyce, when he said: “They don’t take chances in possession, they play forward early and they have scored 50 per cent of their goals from set plays'
14:49pm: That result dumped Phil Parkinson’s team back to the bottom of the league, but victory over the Reds could take them out of the relegation zone if other results go their way.
14:49pm: Bolton had a terrible start to the season after promotion, picking up just two points from their first 11 games. But then they went on a seven-match unbeaten run which ended with a 5-1 thumping at leaders Wolves a week ago
14:29pm: The referee today is Oliver Langford who Paul Heckingbottom walked onto the pitch to talk to at half-time at Millwall in September after a controversial penalty was given against Matty Pearson. Heckingbottom was given a two-game touchline ban
14:19pm: Home goalkeeper Ben Alnwick used to play for Barnsley while Bolton centre-back Mark Beevers is from Higham and had a trial with the Oakwell academy as a boy
14:17pm: Adam Armstrong, who played on loan with Barnsley last season, has been dropped from the Bolton side today after netting once in 17 matches
14:13pm: It is Andy Yiadom’s 26th birthday which means that, with Hammill’s return from suspension, Barnsley field two players aged over 25 for the first time under Heckingbottom. The previous time was December 19, 2015 in a 2-0 home loss to Wigan Athletic when Hammill was joined by Lewin Nyatanga and Simeon Jackson. That was the final game before the seven successive wins which put the Reds in the League One play-off mix.
14:06pm: BOLTON LINE-UP: Alnwick; Little, Beevers, Burke, Robinson; Pratley, Henry; Ameobi, Vela, Buckley; Madine. SUBS: Howard, Noone, Derik, Wilbraham, Darby, Armstrong, Le Fondre.
14:02pm: So four changes from the team that lost 3-0 at Reading on Tuesday. Zeki Fryers, Gary Gardner, Ike Ugbo and Angus MacDonald drop out for Jason McCarthy, Matty Pearson, Adam Hammill and Tom Bradshaw
14:00pm: SUBSTITUTES: Townsend, Pinnock, McGeehan, Thiam, Ugbo, Gardner, Hedges
14:00pm: STARTING LINE-UP: Davies; McCarthy, Lindsay, Pearson, Yiadom; Williams; Hammill, Moncur, Potts, Barnes; Bradshaw.
13:48pm: Barnsley will be looking to end a run of three successive defeats without scoring a goal, against a side who have won only twice this season in the league
13:44pm: Good afternoon and welcome to the live coverage of Barnsley's match at Championship bottom club Bolton Wanderers. We'll bring you all the team news and build up then live updates after the 3pm kick-off.
