Two goals in the opening ten minutes severely dented Barnet’s hopes of maintaining their unbeaten away run which had stretched back to an early January defeat at the hands of table-topping Northampton Town as they slumped to a 4-2 loss at Morecambe.

The Bees never recovered from these early setbacks with the defence unusually frail throughout.

A brace of well-taken second-half goals from Michael Gash brought a degree of respectability to the score line but Morecambe were undoubtedly worthy winners.

Barnet boss Martin Allen made three changes to his starting line-up from the side that had dramatically beaten Luton Town at The Hive just five days earlier. There were recalls for Bondz N’Gala, Mark Randall and Tom Champion with Michael Nelson and Gash being moved to the substitutes’ bench, while Curtis Weston missed out through injury.

With less than a minute on the clock Barnet’s 4-4-1-1 formation was in disarray when a hopeful punt down the middle was latched onto by an unmarked Shaun Miller, who skilfully lofted the ball over the advancing Graham Stack.

The Bees responded two later minutes when an angled delivery into John Akinde from Sam Muggleton nearly resulted in an equaliser but the effort from Barnet’s top-scorer was deflected for a corner.

In the eighth minute the home side extended their lead when Miller was adjudged to have been up-ended by Stack for a penalty. Miller duly picked himself up and placed his shot wide of Stack.

Barnet’s defence lacked its trademark resilience with the home forwards creating havoc seemingly at will.

The visitors were losing possession in vital areas and were fortunate not to be three goals down at the break when Andrew Fleming unnecessarily played the ball from Miller’s goal-bound effort and was flagged offside.

Mauro Vilhete and Gash were introduced from the bench at the start of the second-half but within three minutes the Shrimps scored their third when the unmarked Ryan Kenyon was able to head home at the far post.

The energetic Gash was the Barnet player who looked most likely to get on the scoresheet and it was his shot from distance that Morecambe keeper Barry Roche could only parry away.

In the 70th minute Gash scored his eighth league goal of the season with a drive from the edge of the box following a well-worked free-kick routine.

Although remote, the Bees briefly sensed the possibility of a comeback with substitute Mat Stevens going close on two occasions.

Morecambe’s substitute Cole Stockton would then re-establish the home side’s three-goal advantage when he was given acres of space before thumping the ball into the Barnet goal.

Gash scored his second with neat control and a tidy finish in time added on but Barnet’s fate had been sealed in the opening exchanges when they had twice been caught napping.

Morecambe: Roche, Beeley, Edwards, Parrish, Conlan, Barkhuizen (Devitt 64), Fleming, Kenyon, Molyneux (Mullin 77), Ellison, Miller (Stockton 84). Subs not used: McGowan, Goodall, Oliver, O'Hara.

Barnet: Stack, Pearson (Gash 45), Sesay, N'Gala, Muggleton, Yiadom, Champion, Togwell, Gambin (Stevens 73), Randall (Vilhete 45), Akinde. Subs not used: Dembele, Nelson, Stephens, Taylor.