The goal that led to the switch-off came from a careless attempt by Barnsley to bring Devante Cole back into the pitch, which gave Paris Maghoma the opportunity to cross the ball and give Dion Charles space to finish.
A comfortable victory away from home appeared when Charles netted a penalty in the second half, which resulted from a mix-up between Jordan Williams and goalie Liam Roberts.
It was turned around by replacing Cosgrove with Cole, whose substitution was applauded by his own supporters, not for the first time.
If Cosgrove’s goal, which he scored expertly after a brilliant assist from fellow substitute Conor Grant, served as a solid example of why Tuesday’s starting lineup should be changed, then Barnsley’s more direct style of play may have served as a guide as well.
The hosts felt Roberts was being illegally pressed back, so it was unfortunate that former Hull City winger Randell Williams scored directly from a stoppage-time corner, making the task much more difficult.
Speaking of Cosgrove, Devaney stated that he will once more lead the team while the hunt for Neill Collins’ permanent replacement as coach goes on. “He has the ability to alter the team’s dynamics. He demonstrated his abilities.
“You want to see Sam, who is a strength when he comes on, pull the center backs, win headers, attempt to get hold of the ball, and bring guys into play when you make those substitutions.
“I was really pleased he got his goal and he’s certainly going to be in my mind.”
There was no getting away from the fact that Barnsley will also need to improve on defense in order to overcome a 3-1 lead in Lancashire.
Josh Earl, the center back, said, “It was poor defending from everyone involved.” We just cannot continue to concede goals in that manner.
“I’m not sure if Robbo committed a foul (for the third time), but it’s just another careless goal.
“We really need to start avoiding this aim; I’m not sure if it’s us turning off. All three of the goals were really subpar.The striker made a nice move in the first goal, and there was some wonderful play, but now that we are down to 10 men, we are going to press them, and we ought to have stayed together as a unit.
“That’s just little mistakes that we make in a split second.”
However, everyone has hope thanks to last year’s play-offs, where Sheffield Wednesday overcame a 4-0 first-leg deficit to win their semi-final match.
“At 2-1, we appear to be the next team to score, so we must approach it once more with the belief that we can score, keep going, and exert pressure on them.
We’ll be heading there with every intention to go and attempt to win the game, regardless of whether it’s a crazy goal that starts it or an incredible tackle.
They won by a score of two goals. How come we can’t defeat them by two goals?
“Really, we’re free of pressure now. You never know what can occur as soon as you get one back.”
