Barnet are now just two points off the play-off places after registering a fourth successive victory with a 1-0 success at Bromley last night to sit 13th in the National League table.

John Still’s rapidly improving side had to do it the hard way, however, after seeing out the final few minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of David Tutonda for two bookable offences.

The win arrived thanks to Dan Sweeney’s first Bees goal after 21 minutes in a narrow success in south east London that builds on an encouraging sequence of results that had previously seen Barnet beat Dover Athletic, Dagenham & Redbridge and Chesterfield in quick succession.

That confidence quickly translated into an up-tempo performance at Hayes Lane as Jack Taylor forced David Gregory into work with a chance from distance early in the contest.

And, after a half chance for Bromley’s Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, the Bees would grab the lead when Sweeney guided a header into the net after a deep cross had been flicked into his path by Taylor mid-way through the first half.

It wasn’t all one way traffic, however, and Barnet might have had to settle for going in at the break level had George Porter’s excellent strike from distance for the Ravens not careened into the post with Mark Cousins well and truly beaten.

Barnet, too, would suffer the misfortune of being denied by the woodwork when Wesley Fonguck struck the base of the upright with a low shot after good approach play by the tricky Tutonda out wide.

In the second half, Cheye Alexander nearly caught out Gregory with a floated cross for the visitors, before John Goddard could only volley straight at Cousins from close in after Roger Johnson fashioned the chance for Bromley.

Still’s side could have extended their advantage through Jack Barham who fizzed an effort off the underside off the crossbar, before Gregory denied the same player with a low strike.

The Bees would have to negotiate a nervy final four minutes plus stoppage time, however, when Tutonda was dismissed by referee Carl Brook.

But Barnet did enough to hold on and claim the spoils ahead of Saturday’s visit of Maidenhead United to the Hive.

And Still was full of praise for his players after they inflicted Bromley’s first home defeat since January.

“I thought we were outstanding today,” Still told the club website. “We were one up at half-time but I thought it should have been more.

“We said at half-time the longer the game goes their game would get longer, they’ll just try and get balls into our box and they put the centre-half up, but we dealt with that.”