Barnet came into this weekend’s home fixture with Northampton, needing to get some sort of result and preferably a win so that the club could start to move away from the bottom of the League Two table. It was the first of two important home league games in three days as the Bees face Gillingham, Mark Stimson’s former side, at Underhill on Wednesday.
Stimson was able to bring left back, Jordan Parkes back into the side after he missed the Charlton game because of suspension. Joe Devera moved back across to right back with George Francomb moving to right midfield and Rossi Jarvis missing out. Mark Byrne, who missed the Charlton game through injury and Izale McLeod were both named amongst the substitutes.
Barnet started the game brightly and had Northampton on the back foot, but it was the Cobblers who scored first after a harmless through ball was missed by Glen Southam and Anwar Uddin and fell to Leon McKenzie who was left all alone and slipped it comfortably past Jake Cole to make the score 1-0 to the visitors.
However, within three minutes the game had totally swung in Barnet’s favour. An excellent long ball down the right side from George Francomb found Steve Kabba and he slipped past, Liam Davis into the penalty area only for the Cobblers’ full back to trip up the Bees’ front man. The referee, Mr Tanner, had no choice but to award the home side a penalty and give Davis a red card as Kabba was through on goal. KABBA duly swept home the penalty to level the scores.
Barnet duly took control over the game pushing 10 men Northampton back for most of the first half. Kevin Gallen should have put the Bees two goals up when put clear but he hit a very poor shot way wide of the post. Kabba and Mark Marshall came close to scoring and the Bees should have gone ahead when a superb cross from the right by Southam needed only a touch from two players in the box in order for the home side to go ahead.
Barnet eventually went ahead on 43 minutes, Marshall who was giving the Northampton defence a hard time out on the left, crossed into the penalty area. George Francomb’s effort was cleared away from the line but Steve KABBA was able to scramble the ball over the line to give the Bees a much deserved lead after probably their best home performance of the season.
HT: Bees 2 Cobblers 1
Within two minutes of the restart, Barnet had extended the lead. Northampton gave away a dangerous free kick just outside the penalty area and centrally placed for someone to have a direct attempt at goal. Up stepped Grant BASEY to fire home a wonderful left footed shot that left keeper, Dunn grasping thin air.
However, if Barnet thought that the Cobblers were done and buried, they were wrong as they started to come back into the game, despite the numerical disadvantage and cause the Bees’ defence problems. And Barnet had cause to be grateful, again, to Jake Cole. Cole was called on to make a couple of outstanding saves to keep the Bees comfortably ahead.
However, Barnet had their chances too and Mark Byrne, coming on as substitute for Mark Hughes, almost scored just after coming on, breaking into the penalty area but unable to control his final shot that went wide. Byrne received a knock and had to go off soon after to be replaced by Sam Cox, who was making a rare appearance. Cox played a sumptuous through ball for Mark Marshall who was left with only Dunn to beat but he dallied too long and the chance went.
The Barnet team gave everything in the second half, chasing and closing down the Northampton defenders to keep the ball in the visitors’ half and it should be said that Kevin Gallen, much criticized recently for some poor misses in front of goal showed his experience and general good team play, factors which can go unnoticed.
Stimson brought on Ricky Holmes with 15 minutes to go in place of George Francomb, who had another excellent game, and the former Chelmsford player hit a fine shot that flashed just wide. HOLMES, who has impressed many with his play this season, must have been wondering when his first goal for the club would come, but, as it happened, he didn’t have to wait long as, just into time added on, a clever back heel by Kabba let him in and he planted his shot into the far corner of the net to finish the scoring.
An excellent win by the Bees against a side who had been coming into form and who, it must be said did not look a bad side, but could not cope with the home side’s best performance of the season. All those fans who have pleaded for patience and had said that the tide would turn for the Bees when the horrendous injury list started to clear up, seem, at least, for the time being, to have been justified. Barnet’s form since the awful Stevenage game has not been of a side who looked doomed to relegation. The win, while not taking Barnet out of the relegation zone, at least took them off of the bottom of the table. Hopefully, Mark Stimson can extend the loan deals for Byrne and Francomb and sign Basey up to the end of the season, at least. Suddenly things Black and Amber look a whole lot better.
Barnet Man of the Match: Steve Kabba
Barnet: Cole; Devera, Uddin, Basey, Parkes, Francomb (Holmes 76), Hughes (Byrne 61) (Cox), Southam, Marshall; Kabba, Gallen.
Subs not used: Coulson, Vilhete, Simpson, McLeod.
Att: 1918
