Big Match Verdict: Alex Mowatt has debut to forget as Barnsley are devoured by Wolves

But in a month that was decidedly bittersweet for Barnsley with the slings and arrows of outrageous footballing fortune arriving in equal measure, the fact that there was more late drama was perhaps no great surprise.

The nature of it was because instead of the dreaded spectre of more sales of leading players following the much-publicised exits of Conor Hourihane, James Bree and Sam Winnall, it was something else that hogged the agenda.

Alex Mowatt, the player brought in to try to fill the considerable shoes of Hourihane following his move to Aston Villa, unfortunately took centre stage for all the wrong reasons.

While Hourihane left Oakwell on a classy note with an exquisite strike against Leeds United, Mowatt’s introduction to Reds supporters assumed nightmare proportions when he was dismissed for a reckless tackle on Jack Price three minutes before the interval.

Replays showed that Mowatt could have few complaints following his dangerous challenge in his first league start since October 15, with his exit heaping further misery on a night that was already going against the hosts.

The tin lid on an evening when a home defeat for the Tykes was only part of the story saw head coach Heckingbottom sent to the stands shortly after the hour mark after a brief rumpus close to the Wolves dug-out between both sets of coaching staff.

It was another fractious development on a tetchy evening in teeming rain, which was also notable for referee Chris Kavanagh overturning his initial decision to point to the spot just before the interval after Bright Enobakhare went down in the box under the challenge of Adam Hammill.

It was an evening in which the Lancashire official did not cover himself in glory, although his decision to send off Mowatt was not in dispute.

The main talking point revolved around Mowatt’s moment to forget, although the Reds were the architects of their own downfall before that, if truth be told.

The haphazard set-piece defending that pockmarked the Reds’ recent home encounter with Leeds came to the fore again, with Wolves exposing Barnsley’s deficiencies ruthlessly.

It yielded a fifth-minute opener when Kortney Hause converted from close range after the Reds failed to deal with Connor Ronan’s teasing corner.

Ronan also provided the assist for Wanderers’ second with his inviting free-kick bulleted home by the head of Dave Edwards, who again benefited from non-existent marking – not a wise thing to do given Edwards’s undoubted goalscoring prowess.

The midfielder sealed the deal on 77 minutes when he slotted home the rebound after Adam Davies blocked Jon-Dadi Bodvarsson’s low shot to register his ninth goal of the campaign as Wolves enjoyed the polar opposite in emotions to their decrepit 4-0 home defeat to the Reds at Molineux on September 13.

It was rather more encouraging at the outset for the hosts, with the sight of Marc Roberts, Angus MacDonald, Marley Watkins and Josh Scowen, all the subjects of transfer speculation, lining up for the Reds being a welcome one for home supporters.

But there was not much reason for cheer once the action got underway.

Wolves manager Paul Lambert spoke about being wary of a hangover following his side’s exhilarating cup high at Anfield, but an early opener soon extinguished those fears with Edwards flicking on Ronan’s corner and Hause helping the ball over the line.

Edwards went close to a second before Mowatt’s main positive contribution on an ultimately dreadful night saw him going desperately close to a leveller following Marley Watkins’s astute throughball, with only a top-class save from Harry Burgoyne denying him.

Ronan then hit the outside of a post before Edwards, a threat all night, doubled Wolves’ lead ahead of Mowatt receiving his marching orders – before further consternation when a penalty award was overturned.

With the Reds up against it and a man light, the second half proved largely cosmetic, with a late rally from the hosts at least providing a crumb of consolation.

Williams went close to pulling one back before Edwards provided Wolves with a third.

Barnsley kept going to the end and Roberts soon reduced the arrears, netting from close in after Burgoyne parried a free-kick from Hammill, who kept going all night against his old club and went close to pulling another back on two further occasions, before time was called on an eventful evening.

Barnsley: Davies; Jones, Roberts, MacDonald, C Evans, Kent (James 45), Scowen, Mowatt, Hammill; Williams (Armstrong 76); Watkins (Bradshaw 76). Unused substitutes: Townsend, Jackson, Moncur, Wardle.

Wolves: Burgoyne; Coady (Saville 85), Baath, Hause, Doherty; Edwards, Price; Mason, Enobakhare (L Evans 90), Ronan (Weimann 71); Boadvarsson. Unused substitutes: Lonergan, Stearman, Dicko, Costa.

Referee: C Kavanagh (Lancashire).