However, Barnet were reduced to ten men when Sam Walker was needlessly sent off in injury time with a few minutes of the match remaining.
It was a scruffy match with very few chances and unlike previous occasions this season, the home side where able to take advantage of the few they did have. On 10 minutes, Barnet were able to start piling the pressure on the Crewe defence, which resulted in Tommy Fraser chipping the ball to Daniel Leach, who brilliantly nodded the ball into the net from 6 yards.
Then, on 26 minutes, the Bees notched a second goal to double the advantage. With the ball tight in the middle of the park, Sam Deering was able to pull of an inch perfect pass to Izale McLeod, who after taking one touch to compose himself, shot low under the body of Rhys Taylor, the goalkeeper on loan from Chelsea.
Barnet continued to look slightly the better side, despite Joel Grant having two weak attempts for the visitors; the first one which was dragged horribly wide of the goal, and another that was comfortably held by Sam Walker.
Crewe though, were awarded an obvious penalty in first half injury time which they duly converted. Danny Shelley tried to whip a cross into Barnet’s area from the right hand side, but Matty Parsons foolishly handled the ball to give the Railwaymen a lifeline. Prolific Clayton Donaldson was the player to step up from 12 yards, and side foot the ball into the centre of the net for his 23rd goal of the season.
At the interval, both sides made substitutions. Glen Southam came on for Sam Deering for Martin Allen’s Barnet, whilst long serving Crewe manager Dario Gradi replaced Lee Ball with Luke Murphy.
The second half was much like the first, tight with very few clear cut opportunities. After 57 minutes, Mark Marshall came close to restoring a two goal lead, with a curling shot that went sailed just wide of the top left hand corner.
With a quarter of an hour remaining, Sam Walker was forced into making a save from a Shelley free kick, and was able to hold the stinging attempt expertly.
Mark Marshall looked lively throughout the day for Barnet and came close to sealing all three points after a great run into the Alex penalty area, but he could only conjure up a weak attempt that Taylor easily stopped.
There was still time for five minutes of madness from Barnet ‘keeper Sam Walker, who like his opposite number in the Crewe net, is on loan from Chelsea. Firstly, Walker was cautioned for time-wasting at a goal kick after 86 minutes. Then, minutes later, the youngster stupidly chucked the ball away at disgust when the linesman flagged for a Crewe corner kick when he thought the ball hadn’t gone out of play. The referee then thought he had no choice, but to give Walker a second yellow card, which hardly anyone associated with the Bees could argue against. In a strange move, Liam O’Brien then came on for Barnet, in place of Charlie Taylor, who himself had only just come on a substitute a short time earlier.
Four minutes of injury time were put up by the fourth official, and although the Bees managed to withstand the pressure of that corner, Crewe almost got an equaliser with one of the last kicks of the game. Mathew Tootle launched a long free kick into Barnet’s penalty area near the half way line, which evaded everybody, and just as it looked like it was about to bounce into the top corner of the net, O’Brien leaped fantastically to scoop the ball away for a corner.
But the Bees managed to hold on, and grab a vital three points, and although they still lie in the relegation zone on goal difference, now face two tricky away games on the trot, at Bury and Gillingham respectively. Crewe meanwhile, are sitting comfortably in 13th place with no danger of going down, as well as having next to no chance of getting in the promotion places.
All in all, it was a very good day at the office for Martin Allen’s side, who are now unbeaten in the three games under his reign.
Man of the Match: Daniel Leach
