Barnet extended their lead atop the Conference to eight points after two first-half strikes from the inimitable Luisma Villa set the Bees on their way to a 3-0 win over Braintree Town.

After heading the second in the 2-0 win at Gateshead and scoring against Kidderminster Harriers, the Spanish playmaker kept up his hot streak to hand the Bees the lead after 28 minutes.

Picking up the ball on the edge of the penalty area, Luisma picked his spot and fired home at the near post. And six minutes later, a second followed from a similar position but guided into the opposite corner.

In between, Braintree forward and captain Sean Marks was dismissed for what appeared to be a punch on Bondz N’Gala off the ball.

Luke Gambin got the third after coming on as a half-time substitute, proving his worth in emphatic fashion after being brought on and off in the space of eight minutes at Gateshead on Saturday.

Jon Nurse came into the side in place of Mauro Vilhete, who dropped down to the bench, in Martin Allen’s only change to the starting XI.

The return of Nurse, who partnered John Akinde up front, meant a re-shuffle for the Bees, who saw Elliot Johnson return to left-back and a change of shape back to 4-4-2, as opposed to the 4-2-3-1 utilised at Gateshead.

Sam Hoskins returned to the matchday 16 after missing Saturday’s victory on the Tyne with a knock.

Graham Stack continued in goal, with Andy Yiadom, David Stephens, N’Gala and Johnson protecting his goal.

In midfield, Luisma and Lee Cook were on the flanks, with Curtis Weston and Sam Togwell reunited once more in the centre of the park.

Braintree Town boss Alan Devonshire could only name three substitutes, with a spate of injuries severely limiting his options.

Barnet created two good early opportunities with neat link-up play in the opening ten minutes; the first coming when Akinde and Weston played a one-two, on for the skipper to see the ball cut out as he went to strike.

The strike pairing of Nurse and Akinde then combined, Nurse lofting the ball into Akinde’s path with the big striker bearing down on goal. The Bees’ number nine took too long to shoot though, and only won a corner when one-on-one with Iron goalkeeper Nick Hamann.

Two first-half minutes turned the game on its head shortly before the half-hour mark. In the 26th minute, Barnet took the lead, and just two minutes later, the Iron were reduced to ten men.

First, Luisma collected the ball on the left-hand side of the penalty area, and spying an opportunity, the Spaniard looked up, picked his spot and drove a stunning low effort past Hamann at his near post to open the scoring.

Almost immediately from the re-start, the Iron’s task was made all the more difficult when striker and stand-in captain Marks was sent off for what appeared to be a punch on N’Gala.

In the 34th minute Barnet and Luisma doubled up. From a similar position to his first, the former Racing Santander man drove into the far corner with Hamann unable to keep out a stinging right-footed effort, despite getting a glove to the shot.

Four minutes before the break Stack had to be alert to prevent the Iron from finding a route back into the gap and was at full stretch to push away Dan Walker’s effort from the right-hand edge of the 18-yard box.

After being replaced just eight minutes after coming off the substitutes’ bench at Gateshead on Saturday, Gambin was brought on in place of Lee Cook at half-time for the Bees.

The first chance of the second period fell to Yiadom, the full back controlling a pass fizzed into his feet before bringing a low stop out of Hamann from a half-volley.

Gambin almost added a third shortly after when he connected with Johnson’s cut-back, but the substitute was denied by a block on the line from Mitch Brundle.

Just before the hour-mark, Gambin did grab the Bees’ third, latching onto Luisma’s pass before slipping underneath Hamann from inside the penalty area.

Barnet should have had the opportunity to make it 4-0 a minute later when Yiadom was hauled down after collecting Gambin’s chipped cross to the back post, but referee Mr Treleaven saw otherwise.

Luisma ought to have completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute, running onto the ball in a central position on the edge of the area, but with time and space, he rushed his contact and planted straight at Hamann.

Substitute Adam Mekki almost grabbed Barnet’s fourth, but after gliding past a couple of Braintree defenders saw his low shot pushed around the post by Hamann.

Braintree had a rare attempt on goal with 12 minutes remaining; substitute Simeon Akinola bringing a good near-post stop out of Stack with a snap-shot.

The visitors undoubtedly played with more freedom at 3-0 down, but never truly threatened the under-worked Stack as Barnet closed out a professional win.

Barnet: Stack; Yiadom, Stephens, N'Gala, Johnson; Luisma, Weston, Togwell, Cook (Gambin HT); Nurse (Mekki 56), Akinde.

Subs: Saville, Vilhete, Hoskins.

Braintree Town: Hamann; Peters, Brundle, Massey, Smith; Sparkes (Case 65), Isaac, Walker; Marks, Cox (Akinola 71).

Subs: Pentney (GK).

Referee: Mr Dean Treleaven.

Attendance: 1,074 (58 away).