Conor Hourihane bemoans ‘moment of madness’ as Barnsley lose at Lincoln

Barnsley boss Conor Hourihane lamented his side’s “moment of madness” after a 3-1 defeat at promotion-chasing Lincoln.

Davis Keillor-Dunn cancelled out Reeco Hackett’s opener in the second half at Sincil Bank.

But within seconds the Imps restored their lead through Tom Bayliss’ lob before Hackett wrapped up the points minutes later.

The second goal led to choice words being exchanged among the visitors.

And manager Hourihane admitted: “After scoring it’s a complete moment of madness.

“To concede like that is crazy. I can’t get my head around it. I’m not sure what they’re thinking or doing as a team.

“We’ve worked so hard to get back into the game at a tough place.

“We let them off the hook massively. They had them where they wanted them and threw it away.

“As son as that goal goes in it’s a completely different game.

“I feel like if we saw out a couple of minutes we could go back to dominating the ball and creating more chances.

“It’s frustrating because we could have come away with something against a good side.

“I don’t think it’s to do with defensive mentality or defensive weakness. It’s just a moment of madness that you probably won’t see for a very long time again.”

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala stressed injuries to James Collins and Ben House provide his players the opportunity to stand up and be counted.

Hackett answered his manager’s rallying cry during a victory which raised spirits at the club after striker Collins was ruled out for the season and winger House out until February.

“I’m really happy with the goals and performance,” said Skubala. “The three points is always important.

“It’s a great start to these seven games. It’s a busy period.

“We started well. They couldn’t live with us or our intensity.

“I’m pleased with the contribution from every player. We had some real quality as well as the desire and character.

“We talked about people chipping in. We’re gutted about Collo (James Collins). He’s such a great leader for us. It will be a long road back for him.

“Ben House is probably February as well. But it’s an opportunity for players to show us what they can do.

“We’re in a good spot. We’ve built for this moment.

“I keep saying it. Every League One game has a different story. Sometimes it’s messy, but we’ve got an experienced group and they know how to win those games.

“This is a tough place to come. You can feel it. They thought they could come and play and we ran all over them.

“That’s our super strength because we have different ways to win games at this level.”