Barnet 3 Margate 1

Nationwide Conference

Martin Allen hailed Bees top scorer Giuliano Grazioli after the striker's two goals helped his side up to third in the Conference table.

Grazioli produced two deadly first half finishes as the Bees turned on the style in front of the Underhill faithful with a classy performance against a struggling Margate team.

"He trains hard every day, he keeps his head down," Allen remarked of the 25-goal front man. "It was a good team performance and when he gets those opportunities he does tuck them away."

Dominant for the majority of the game, Barnet did have to survive a couple of early scares as the workmanlike Che Stedhart made a nuisance of himself latterly swiping a close range shot over George Bankole's goal with just a few minutes on the clock.

The hosts soon clicked into gear, though, and both Grazioli and Ben Strevens should have hit the target with headers from two Ian Hendon crosses.

Sweeping forward at every opportunity Barnet deservedly took the lead on 30 minutes when Hendon's delightful through ball found Grazioli and with a deft touch he controlled the ball inside the box before firing hard and low past Phil Smith.

The striker made it two just before half time after a rasping drive from Simon King was beaten out by Smith. Joe Gamble latched on to the rebound and he had the presence of mind to pick out Grazioli at the far post, the forward making no mistake with a simple header from six yards.

Grazioli almost netted his hat-trick immediately after the break when he headed wide of goal from a Strevens cross while Ismail Yakubu failed to hit the target from a similar position seconds later.

Any thoughts that the game was over were firmly dispelled when Manny Omoyimni fired a 25-yard shot into Bankole's top corner midway through the half but rather than spark a comeback from the Kent side, it merely spurred the home side on.

A forceful run from Liam Hatch resulted in Margate skipper Graham Porter bringing the tall striker down in the penalty area and Hendon stepped up to put his penalty miss against Dagenham behind him with a cool finish from the spot.

Gamble and new signing Simon Clist both forced Smith into excellent point blank saves late in the day but by then the game was over as a contest.

BARNET (4-4-2): Bankole; Hendon, Plummer, Maddix (Williams 60), King; Yakubu, Gamble, Clist, Strevens (Lopez 86); Grazioli (Taggart 82), Hatch. Subs not used: Gore. Attendance: 1591. Man of the match: Hendon.