Barnsley 1-3 Bolton: Dion Charles’ first leg double helps Wanderers take control of League One play-off semi-final as Randell Williams nets at the death to leave Tykes with a mountain to climb

Having come back from the dead, Barnsley buried themselves again.

Two Dion Charles goals had Bolton’s fans singing about Wembley and the Championship, only for Sam Cosgrove to offer Barnsley genuine hope for the second leg.

Suddenly, Bolton were grimly clinging on but they broke away to force a corner deep into stoppage time.

Somehow from that, Randell Williams delivered an inswinger that evaded absolutely everybody in the area and flew straight in. The reaction was first bemusement and then Lancastrian jubilation.

So it’s Ian Evatt’s side who begin with a commanding advantage in the return on Tuesday night – but they had to win this twice.

At two-up, thoughts must have been drifting to which north London hotels to book, only for Cosgrove to offer yet another reminder to always expected the unexpected in the play-offs.

The mood inside Oakwell had completely flopped but after Williams’ extraordinary intervention, it’s Bolton who should make it through.

Both teams needed a reboot ahead of the play-offs after disappointing ends to the regular season.

Although Bolton remained in automatic promotion contention until the final day, clinging to Derby’s coattails, just one win from their final four smacked of a certain resignation.

That was nothing on Barnsley, however, whose torrid sequence of just two wins in their last 12 saw their play-off chances severely jeopardised before they staggered over the line.

Amidst all that, the Tykes dispensed with coach Neil Collins and had hoped to appoint a successor – the Austrian Dominik Thalhammer, denied a work permit – before this one.

Instead, Martin Devaney remained in caretaker charge and though there was some first-half fight about the hosts, they struggled to get much going.

Adam Phillips earned an early booking for a meaty tackle on Dion Charles, reciprocated but without the sanction when Josh Dacres-Cogley went in on Nicky Cadden.

It led to some Yorkshire versus Lancashire joshing from the noisy Oakwell crowd but Barnsley just couldn’t get going.

Bolton weren’t much better initially with keeper Nathan Baxter given the hurry-up over his slow goal kicks and when he finally got there, some sailed straight out.

But all that was deceptive and they took the lead midway through with a lovely slick move and an emphatic finish by Charles for his 18th of the campaign.

Ricardo Santos played out of defence to Dacres-Cogley, who slipped a pass down the line to Maghoma. It was one-touch all the way as Brentford loanee Maghoma played a one-two with Aaron Collins before delivering on a plate for Charles.

With their tails up, Bolton almost made it two when Maghoma, found in plenty of space by George Thomason, curled an effort just over.

Barnsley didn’t muster a first-half shot on target, coming closest when Phillips curled wide from 20 yards. Later he shot wide from range again.

The hosts needed to drastically improve but they shot themselves in the foot just minutes into the second-half.

Jordan Williams headed the ball back towards goalkeeper Liam Roberts but didn’t get enough power on it, allowing Josh Sheehan to nip in. He was brought down and Finnie had no hesitation in signalling a penalty.

Roberts, keen to atone, got a strong hand on Charles’ spot-kick but it was struck with such force the ball went in anyway.

Maghoma almost made it three as Bolton seized total control, his shot diverted over the bar by Cadden. The ball found the net from the corner only for the whistle to blow for a foul.

But out of nowhere Barnsley gave themselves a lifeline when Cosgrove was left in far too much space inside Bolton’s box to finish past Baxter.

Eoin Toal had stepped off him to mark Phillips, with fellow substitute Conor Grant threading the pass.

Now it was all Barnsley, with Baxter pulling off a superb save to keep out Phillips’ header before getting down to save the same man’s shot in stoppage time.

But down the other end it required a smothering save from Roberts to deny Kyle Dempsey as he sprinted clear.

It was directly from that corner that Williams made Bolton’s position in the tie much stronger.