Barnet see off Rochdale to beat the drop (From Times Series)

Barnet 1 Rochdale 0

4:54pm Saturday 8th May 2010 in Sport

Barnet will play League Two football again next season.

A tense finale at Underhill never really materialised, with Grimsby Town, the only side that could catch the Bees, heavily beaten at Burton Albion.

In the end it meant Paul Fairclough's charges could have even afforded to have lost this game and still stayed up.

However, there was no question of Barnet ever sitting back and relying on others. And, satisfyingly, the Bees kept their part of the bargain, a late Albert Jarrett goal giving them the three points that they thought, at the start of play, that they would need to keep them up.

From start to finish, the hosts attacked. It was a gutsy and wholehearted performance, which sparked wild scenes of celebration on the final whistle. Barnet started the game like they meant business, Mark Hughes meeting an Albert Adomah cross with his head, but the ball was well wide.

John O'Flynn then had a chance at the far post, though the angle was tight and Dale keeper Frank Fielding blocked his shot.

It was a positive start and immediately got the crowd behind the Bees.

There was no doubt boss Fairclough had stamped his mark on the side, his charges attempting to play the ball on the ground, instead of resorting to long balls which had been the case in recent games.

On 20 minutes, Hughes was presented with another chance, but his shot from just inside the area lacked power and it was an easy save for Fielding.

Micah Hyde then tried a speculative volley from all of 25 yards. The skipper connected to the ball well, but it was straight at the visiting keeper.

Barnet continued to press and Hughes was again wide with another long-range effort.

With half an hour gone, Ahmed Deen curled a free-kick just over the bar after Adomah had been upended on the edge of the box. Some thought the foul was committed inside the area, but there was no hint of the referee awarding a spot kick.

Adomah almost broke the deadlock on 40 minutes, but his swirling drive from 20 yards was pushed out by Fielding.

A minute later, Adomah crossed deep and Ed Upson headed the ball against the bar. It was the closest Barnet had come to a goal in a half they totally dominated.

Rochdale's only shot was a Jason Kennedy drive from distance that Jake Cole pushed behind.

The Bees again came close to a goal ten minutes into the second half. A Gary Breen ball freed O'Flynn, but the striker was thwarted by Fielding in a one-on-one situation.

Minutes later, Upson had a powerful drive cleared off the line by Kallum Higginbotham, as the hosts continued to search for that elusive goal.

Hughes was next to sweep the ball well over from a good position, before more appeals for a penalty were turned down, Upson this time the man to go over in the box.

However, by now everyone in the ground was aware that Grimsby were losing heavily at Burton, so a Barnet goal was not quite as important anymore.

With ten minutes to go, Adomah cut inside, but his shot was straight at Fielding.

Finally, with a minute to go, the goal came, sub Albert Jarrett seeing his shot deflect off a defender to leave Fielding diving the wrong way.

BARNET (4-3-3): Cole; Devera, Breen, Gillet, Deen; Hughes, M Hyde, Upson (Deverdics 80); Adomah, O'Flynn (Furlong 82), Vilhete (Jarrett 56). Subs not used: Carpenter, Yakubu, Leach, James.

Attendance: 4,638.