Barnet 0 Darlington 1 (From Times Series)

Barnet 0 Darlington 1

5:01pm Saturday 28th March 2009 in

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Barnet lost their first home match under Ian Hendon.

A goal midway through the second half proved enough for the mid-table visitors and condemned the Bees to their first reverse at Underhill this year.

They went into the game gunning for a fifth home win on the trot, but, despite hitting the woodwork on a couple of occasions, were a little below par compared to recent matches.

Even so, they still might have at least salvaged a point at the death in a frantic finale.

Barnet made just one change from the side that beat Lincoln a week ago, Joe Devera coming in for the injured Mark Hughes.

Former Bee Liam Hatch was in the visitors' starting line-up.

The first shot of the match came from Hatch and it was greeted by cheers from the home fans, as the ball flew way over the bar.

Barnet's first chance fell to man-of-the-moment John O'Flynn, but he fired over from close in after keeper Andy Oakes came out quickly to close him down.

At the other end, Jason Kennedy had an effort deflected wide, while Clayton Fortune drove across goal from close range after Nicky Deverdics allowed the weak resulting corner to reach him at the back post. The Darlington wing-back should have buried the chance.

The Quakers had started the better, the Bees struggling to get going.

But on the half-an-hour mark, Yannick Bolasie put over a super cross with the outside of his boot, which earned a corner from which Paul Furlong rattled the bar with a near-post header.

It gave the hosts the lift they needed and Nicky Deverdics should have done better from an Albert Adomah lay-off, the midfielder slicing his shot well wide.

However, there were no further chances of what was a niggly opening 45 minutes, the proceedings not helped by a blustery wind and frequent downpours.

Barnet started the second half brightly, Adomah screwing a far-post shot wide after a Bolasie cross was only half cleared.

Furlong then forced Oakes to push over a rasping drive, as the Bees moved up a gear.

There were calls for a penalty when Adomah was tripped just inside the box, but nothing was given.

At the other end, Hatch failed to turn home a brilliant Danny Carlton cross, the ball hitting the striker and dropping out of his reach.

But it was the Bees who were doing most of the pressing, Gary Breen heading wide from a corner.

So it came as a surprise when the Quakers struck midway through the half, Pawel Abbott turning home a Carlton pull-back, the ball deflecting off Breen before finding the net. It was a soft goal to concede, Devera going to ground too early, allowing Carlton to get in his cross.

Too many stoppages, inluding a serious injury to Oakes, who was carried off, affected the flow of the game.

But Devera forced the sub keeper to turn over a shot with ten minutes to go and, from the corner, Ismail Yakubu saw his header cleared off the line. The Bees became increasingly desperate, now throwing everyone forward in search of an equaliser.

With time running out, Adomah blazed over from close in, the ball falling on to his left foot.

And, deep into injury time, Bolasie saw a cracking drive turned on to the post, but the hosts could not find a way through.

BARNET (4-4-2): Cole; Devera (Birchall 81), Yakubu, Breen, Lockwood; Adomah, Bishop, Deverdics (Porter 89), Bolasie; Furlong, O'Flynn. Subs not used: Kadoch, Gillet, Tabiri.

Attendance: 2,069.