Barnsley can take one clear positive out of Bolton Wanderers heartbreak: View | OneFootball

It was an incredibly disappointing evening for Barnsley on Tuesday night as their promotion hopes came to an end.

Barnsley on the wrong side of play-off classic

The Tykes were beaten 3-1 by Bolton Wanderers at Oakwell in their play-off semi-final first leg on Friday night, and although they produced a spirited performance in the second leg as they won 3-2 at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, the Trotters progressed to the final with a 5-4 aggregate victory.

Sam Cosgrove's header gave Barnsley the lead in the 36th minute, but Bolton turned the game around before half-time through goals from Aaron Collins and Eoin Toal.

The Tykes responded well in the second half, with Adam Phillips equalising before Cosgrove's second of the game put them ahead in the 76th minute.

Barnsley piled on the pressure in the closing stages, but they were unable to find the fourth goal that would have taken the tie to extra time, and after losing to Sheffield Wednesday in last season's final, they suffered play-off heartbreak once again.

The Tykes made the big call to sack head coach Neill Collins with just one game of the season remaining, and after the move to appoint former Oostende boss Dominik Thalhammer collapsed due to work permit issues, academy coach Martin Devaney took charge for the play-offs.

Given the failure to achieve promotion, it seems unlikely that Devaney will be handed the permanent job, and other names have been linked with the vacancy, such as MK Dons head coach Mike Williamson.

Sorting the managerial situation will be the top priority for the Barnsley hierarchy over the coming weeks, and with the prospect of a big rebuild at the club this summer, they will need to make a swift appointment.

After a disappointing end to the season, there is little optimism among Tykes supporters right now, but Cosgrove's goals are one positive that they can take from their play-off defeat.

Sam Cosgrove's play-off goals offer hope for Barnsley

Cosgrove joined Barnsley from Birmingham City in the summer, and it was seen as a coup for the Tykes to land his signature as they fought off competition from the likes of Blackpool, Charlton Athletic, Oxford United and Derby County.

The 27-year-old scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 40 appearances during his loan spell at Plymouth Argyle last season to help the Pilgrims to the League One title, and there was hope that he could replicate that promotion success at Oakwell.

However, Cosgrove struggled to make an impact for much of the campaign, and prior to the play-offs, he had scored just three goals in 34 games for the Tykes.

Cosgrove equalled that tally in just two matches during the play-offs, coming off the bench to score a consolation goal in the first leg before netting twice in the second leg.

With John McAtee returning to Luton Town at the end of his loan spell this summer, the Tykes will be losing a significant amount of their attacking threat as the 24-year-old scored 15 goals and registered five assists in 45 appearances this season.

It seems highly unlikely that Barnsley will be able to bring McAtee back to the club this summer after missing out on promotion, and their attacking options could be depleted further if they lose top scorer Devante Cole.

Cole scored 18 goals and provided three assists in 49 games this season, and he has been linked with a number of Championship sides in recent months, including Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Swansea City, Bristol City, Hull City and Cardiff City.

However, it remains to be seen whether any second tier club will make a move for Cole this summer after an underwhelming second half of the season that saw him score just twice from mid-January onwards.

The departures of both McAtee and Cole would place big pressure on Cosgrove to step up and score the goals to fire Barnsley to promotion next season, but the striker proved against Bolton that he can lead the line for the club.

Cosgrove has been a prolific scorer at times during his career, particularly at Aberdeen, where he scored 47 goals in 103 appearances, a record of almost one in two games.

Helping Cosgrove rediscover the form he showed north of the border will surely be a priority for Collins' successor, and his goals in the play-offs have given the next Tykes boss something to build on next season.