Barnsley suffered their first pre-season defeat of the summer due to a second half blitzing from Middlesbrough.
The Reds held their own for 45 minutes against last season’s Championship play-off finalists but after changing part of their defence at half-time were two goals behind five minutes later.
With the search for a striker intensifying, head coach Lee Johnson gave a trial to 28-year-old former Canadian international Simeon Jackson.
The former Norwich and Coventry striker who has plundered 100 league goals in 316 appearances was released by the Sky Blues this summer and started on the Oakwell bench last night.
Sitting alongside him was Mason Holgate who has spent the last two weeks at Manchester United on trial but could still have a Barnsley future.
Unfortunately it was his introduction along with Marc Roberts that changed the game. Replacing Lewin Nyatanga and James Bree, they were breached twice inside two minutes at the start of the second half with Kike netting before Albert Adomah, who netted twice at Oakwell back in August 2013, scoring after seeing his first effort parried by Christian Dibble.
Adomah repeated his brace heroics when he produced a classy finish from 20 yards and Kike made it four with 15 minutes to play.
Jackson had replaced an ineffective Conor Wilkinson after 67 minutes but failed to spark.
Last night’s display proved however that the side need to tighten up defensively as well as improve at the other end. They finish their pre-season exertions at home to Huddersfield on Saturday.
Barnsley Team:
Christian Dibble
James Bree
Alfie Mawson
Lewin Nyatanga
George Smith
Marley Watkins
Joe Rothwell
Ben Pearson
Josh Scowen
Mike Phenix
Conor Wilkinson
Substitutes:
Marc Roberts (for Bree ht)
Mason Holgate (for Nyatanga ht)
George Maris (for Phenix 58)
Simeon Jackson (for Wilkinson 67)
Louis Wardle (for Mawson 87)