A last-gasp equaliser earned Barnet a deserved 1-1 draw with Blackpool in an enthralling game at The Hive.

John Akinde scored the late leveller with the Tangerines looking like they had done enough to claim all threep points; but the battling Bees would not be denied.

Head coach Martin Allen kept faith with the starting line-up that had comprehensively seen off the challenge of Accrington Stanley at the weekend, with the exception of forward Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro, who replaced the injured Michael Gash.

Barnet started the match positively with Curtis Weston's effort just wide with less than two minutes gone.

The Bees almost took the lead shortly after when good play down the left by Elliott Johnson saw his delivery into the middle nearly converted by Akpa Akpro.

In the early stages the Bees were resolute and firm and used the ball well, leaving Blackpool on the ropes, but the home side were unable to make the breakthrough.

In a rare foray forward, Blackpool took the lead with a stunning effort midway through the half.

Mark Cullen controlled the ball on the edge of the box and his hooked shot had Barnet keeper Josh Vickers flailing as it flew high into the corner.

The Bees responded well to this set-back with a shot from Akpa Akpro and a header from Bira Dembele going close to equalising almost immediately.

With half-time approaching Kevin Nicholls and Akpa Akpro both had efforts that hit the woodwork as the Bees did everything but draw level.

The visitors, now galvanised by their lead, asserted themselves in the second-half and looked a much more formidable outfit.

Their strikers, the nimble Cullen and the astute Brad Potts, were causing concern for the Barnet rear-guard.

With just eight minutes of the second-half gone Luke Gambin was introduced from the bench as the Bees attempted to get themselves back in the game by adopting an increasingly attacking approach.

Barnet’s defensive midfielder Sam Togwell had been the player to make way, a decision that made the Bees more offensive, but at the expense of being more vulnerable.

On the hour mark Michael Nelson produced a well-timed and perfectly executed tackle on Potts who look destined to extend the visitors lead.

Moments later Potts hit the post with a fierce drive as the visitors sought a vital second goal as they enjoyed a spell of dominance.

After weathering the storm, the Bees again and again pushed forward but Blackpool keeper Sam Slocombe and his defence held firm.

Substitutes Shaun Batt and Sam Muggleton were called upon as Barnet changed their personnel and formation in order to provide more attacking options.

Nicholls had a good shot from distance pushed over for a corner, and as the clock ticked down the travelling Blackpool fans could sense the points were almost theirs.

The signal that there would be five minutes of added time spurred the Bees into redoubling their efforts to level the scores.

Their endeavours was rewarded with just seconds remaining when Akinde controlled the ball in a heavily-populated penalty area before rifling home the equaliser.

The Blackpool players literally fell to their knees, but the Barnet players and their supporters knew that justice had been served.

Barnet: Vickers, Taylor (Muggleton 81), Nelson, Dembele, Johnson, Watson (Batt 72), Weston, Togwell (Gambin 54), Nicholls, Akpa-Akpro, Akinde

Unused: N'Gala, Champion, McKenzie-Lyle, Vilhete.

Att: 1,502