Imps hit Bees for four (From Times Series)

Imps hit Bees for four

8:56pm Saturday 14th January 2006 in

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Lincoln City 4
Barnet 1

A second-half collapse made it another day to forget for Barnet on their travels.

The Bees have still not won away since the end of August.

And they even had the head-start of an early Giuliano Grazioli goal at Sincil Bank this afternoon, his second in two games, before the Imps took control.

Barnet are usually the team that starts slowly and finishes strongly.

Not today. After an encouraging first half, the Bees were never in it after the interval and could have no complaints about the outcome, even if the final score was a little flattering to the hosts.

Grazioli put his side in front on 15 minutes. Dean Sinclair broke from his own half and used his strength to shrug off his marker before slipping in the striker. Grazioli never looked like missing and confidently placed the ball into the corner as the keeper came out to narrow the angle.

Lincoln responded well and Simon Yeo should have done better when a half-cleared corner eventually dropped invitingly at his feet, but he smacked the ball well over.

Barnet were defending well at this stage and creating chances themselves. Paolo Vernazza forced the keeper to stretch to catch a curling free-kick, while a deflected Adam Gross cross was met by Grazioli at the far post, but he could not direct his header from a tight angle past Andy Marriott in the Lincoln goal.

The equaliser came in the 38th minute. Anthony Charles failed to get any power on a clearing header and, when a cross eventually came back into the box, Yeo volleyed past Ross Flitney with the help of a deflection off Ian Hendon.

Liam Hatch could have restored the lead two minutes later, but he drove well wide after cutting inside on his left foot.

Hatch had another chance early in the second half, this time forcing Marriott to dive and catch his well-struck volley, but that was all the Bees could muster in a one-sided second 45 minutes.

Lincoln moved up a gear and the Bees could not respond. The hosts edged in front on 63 minutes when Dean Keates saw a free-kick glanced home at the near post via the head of Jamie McCombe. It was not the first time Barnet had conceded this type of goal this season.

The Imps, to their credit, refused to sit back and Yeo forced Flitney to parry a close-range volley.

And they were again rewarded for their efforts ten minutes from time. Colin Cryan spotted a huge gap down the left and Marvin Robinson latched on to his lovely pass before curling the ball home off the far post for the goal of the game.

It wrapped up the points, though a third never looked like it would be needed.

And it became four two minutes later, when a Scott Kerr cross was missed by everyone and crept in at the far post.

It just about summed up Barnet's afternoon.

BARNET (4-4-2): Flitney; Fuller, Hendon, Charles, Gross; Sinclair, Strevens (Batt 66), Vernazza (Bowditch 66), Bailey; Grazioli, Hatch. Subs not used: Tynan, Soares, Graham.

Attendance: 4,033.

Best Bee: Dean Sinclair.

* Goalkeeper Scott Tynan is expected to join Rushden & Diamonds on Monday.