Curtis Weston's late equaliser gave Barnet a deserved point in a 1-1 draw with Colchester this afternoon.

The Bees were slow to get into their stride and could have been behind by the time Tarique Fosu slotted home smartly with barely five minutes gone.

But they soon improved, and the first-half introduction of Jamal Campbell-Ryce from the bench helped no end, with Alex Nicholls the man with the unenviable fortune to be removed before the break.

It would not be until eight minutes from time that they got their just reward, when Weston bundled home to give them a share of the points.

Martin Allen kept faith with the side that had performed so well at Mansfield seven days prior - but it was a Jeckyll and Hyde showing early on, as Colchester's Kurtis Guthrie stung the hands of Josh Vickers inside two minutes.

They controlled the early play and took the lead only four minutes later, when Drey Wright had time on the right to pick out Fosu on the edge of the box.

He too found himself with time and space, and buried the ball beyond Vickers, who could have done little about it.

Barnet's first sniff of an equaliser, five minutes later, looked a clear-cut chance as Shaun Batt was played in down the left, and appeared to be clean through; but Brennan Dickenson made up ground on his adversary to slide in inside the box and clear for a corner.

The Bees were slowly revving into life, with half chances at either end from Richard Brindley and Bondz N'Gala.

But despite beginning to take control, their final ball was still lacking; summed up no better than when on the break from a corner, Curtis Weston, under little pressure, failed to find Alex Nicholls with a ball which would have put him through on goal.

It turned out to be Nicholls' final involvement in the game - and with only 33 minutes on the clock, he was removed, with Jamal Campbell-Ryce taking his place.

The former Sheffield United man justified his inclusion from the off, however, and should have been the man to provide an equaliser.

His run to the byline - not his first - with a couple of minutes to go before the break ended with a cross to Batt at the far post.

The forward, who had enjoyed a lively first half, headed over from no more than a few yards out to the dismay of the home crowd.

Having started the first half so poorly, Barnet flew out of the traps in the second, and John Akinde saw a shot blocked inside the box less than 90 seconds after the restart.

But Colchester are a potent team, and showed it on the break from a Barnet attack. Elliott Johnson's poor ball forward to Batt was intercepted, and within 10 seconds, Vickers was pulling off a fingertip save to keep Wright's effort from doubling their lead.

The next clear-cut chance would have to wait more than 10 minutes - when Campbell-Ryce's trickery again bought him some space, and let him cross for Akinde, who headed wide from close range.

Mauro Vilhete was next to forge an opportunity as his persistence forced Dickenson to dally on the ball, which ran loose to Akinde.

Again his shot was blocked, but Barnet's sense that an equaliser wasn't far away was growing.

They added another near-miss when Akinde was fouled just outside the box, with Ryan Watson brought on just in time to take the free-kick, which cannoned off the top of the wall and away for a corner.

Barnet continued in the ascendency but had to wait until the 82nd minute to test Sam Walker.

The Bees had been involved in a number of scrappy moments inside the opposition box, with the ball just not falling for them in their search for an equaliser.

But they finally found a way through thanks to Curtis Weston, from one such move, who was on hand to bundle home his first league goal since March.

Surprisingly, the goal revitalised Colchster, and Porter and Dickenson came close late on, but the Bees hung on for a point they easily deserved.

Barnet: Vickers; Vilhete, N'Gala, Nelson, Johnson; Nicholls (Campbell-Ryce 33), Weston, Togwell (Watson 69), Gambin; Akinde, Batt (Akpa Akpro 61).

Unused: Stephens, Dembele, Sesay, Taylor.