6:43pm Tuesday 28th December 2004
By Paul Wreyford
Barnet 1 Scarborough 0 . . .
Super-sub Lee Roache hit the 76th-minute winner with his first touch of the match.
Roache had only been on the pitch two minutes when he met a Simon King centre on the volley. His shot flashed through a crowd of players and left Scarborough keeper Leigh Walker, who had frustrated the Bees all afternoon with some fine saves, with no chance.
It was no more than Barnet deserved. They did most of the running and created the better openings.
Manager Paul Fairclough said: "This was a massive result for the club. We've had a difficult week.
"But my players do not become bad players within the space of four or five days.
"The average age of the team is 23 but they played like men today in terms of personal discipline.
"It was great to keep a clean sheet and a massive win for us."
Barnet started brightly and Giuliano Grazioli forced Walker to push out a curling shot on three minutes.
Nicky Bailey was next to be denied by Walker, his drive being pushed round the post.
Dwane Lee came the closest to a first half-goal when he teed the ball up himself and hit a cracking volley on the turn. Walker was well beaten on this occasion but was saved by the post.
Lee also saw Walker turn round a low drive from a tight angle with ten minutes of the first half to go. Simon Clist had the final effort, but Walker was again down low to push his shot round.
The Seadogs also had their chances and veteran Neil Redfearn was behind most of them. On 71 minutes he beat Scott Tynan with a shot from the edge of the box, but Ian Hendon was on the line to hack the ball away.
Five minutes later Barnet finally got the goal their efforts deserved. King picked the ball up on the edge of the area and sent in an inviting cross. Roache attacked it with pace and met the ball first time. It had goal on it the moment it left his boot.
Barnet might have won by more but Sinclair had an effort ruled out in the final minute for offside after Roache had fed him the ball with Walker stranded on the edge of his own box.
And Grazioli then stabbed the ball just wide after Roache set him up in the dying minutes.
There were few moments of anxiety at the other end in the closing stages and the Bees held on with ease.
BARNET (4-4-2): Tynan; Hendon, Yakubu, King, Clist; Batt (Roache 74), Sinclair (Lopez 90), Lee, Bailey; Grazioli, Hatch. Subs not used: Gore, Strevens, McBean.
Attendance: 2,504.
Best Bee: Ian Hendon.
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