Bees in goalless draw

6:37pm Saturday 1st October 2005

Barnet 0 Oxford United 0 . . .

Barnet had to share the spoils for the third consecutive league match.

Neither side did enough to warrant all three points and manager Paul Fairclough admitted the draw was the fairest result.

He said: "I can't argue with the score. Both teams cancelled each other out.

The positive fact is that it's another point and a clean sheet. There was some fantastic defending at times with players throwing themselves in front of the ball."

The first half was better than the second, but clear-cut opportunities were at a premium.

Barnet started brightly enough and were the first to test either keeper. Dwane Lee saw a free-kick well held by Billy Turley, while Dean Sinclair's 30-yard drive slipped through the fingers of the visiting number one, but Turley was able to gather the ball before it dropped over the line.

Giuliano Grazioli then mis-hit his shot when he latched on to a Simon King ball over the top in what was the clearest opening for Barnet.

Oxford produced an almighty scramble at the other end, Ross Flitney blocking a close-range Eric Sabin effort during it, while the home keeper also did well to get behind a speculative 30-yard drive from Craig Davies.

The visitors should have scored on 37 minutes when Davies got to the byline and put over an inviting ball. It reached Steve Basham at the far post but he was denied at close range by the leg of Flitney.

The Barnet number one was quick off his line two minutes into the second half to block Lee Bradbury, who had been put in the clear via a lovely flick.

The Bees were struggling to make an impact at the other end and the game appeared to be drifting into a stalemate.

But Fairclough threw on Liam Hatch and Richard Graham on 67 minutes, and Barnet came to life again, with the latter, in particular, looking his old self.

Hatch set up Grazioli ten minutes from time when he beat Turley to a high ball into the box. But the ball fell behind Grazioli and he was forced to try an overhead kick that went just over the bar.

Barnet were finishing the stronger, but it was not to be, Nicky Bailey seeing the final chance, a low shot from the edge of the box, fizz a foot wide of the post in injury time.

BARNET (4-4-2): Flitney; Hendon, King, Charles, Batt (Gross 77); Bailey, Lee, Sinclair, Soares (Hatch 67); Grazioli, Strevens (Graham 67). Subs not used: Tynan, Bowditch.

Attendance: 3,272.

Best Bee: Nicky Bailey.