Lacklustre Barnet suffered their first league defeat of the season at the hands of Carlisle United who thoroughly deserved all three points having created enough opportunities to have recorded an even more convincing victory.

The Barnet manager Martin Allen made two changes to his starting XI to the team that had played well at Crawley in a 1-1 draw last weekend.

He recalled last season’s Player of the Year, keeper Jamie Stephens, after a long spell out through injury at the expense of Josh Vickers and Bondz N’Gala replaced the sidelined Bira Dembele.

The game took some time to settle in the sweltering conditions with both sides finding it difficult to carve out opportunities with both goalkeepers rarely being called upon.

The visitors were the first to look likely to score when from a Nicky Adams corner Michael Raynes saw his effort crash off the cross-bar and moments later, in the 21st minute they forged ahead.

Again the influential Adams was involved. His pin-point delivery into the middle enabled Jabo Ibehre to prod the ball home from close range and from that moment the Cumbrians took charge of the match.

Just past the half-hour mark Ibehre should have headed the visitor’s second goal of the afternoon when Jamie Devitt did well down the right to give the Carlisle striker a gilt-edged opportunity. 

The Bees were relieved that come the half-time whistle they were only chasing a one goal deficit.

The visitors started the second-half in confident mood, buoyed by the quality of their performance in the opening forty-five minutes.

Barnet were finding it difficult to win possession as Carlisle were adept at keeping the ball and switching the play; their wide forwards, Adams and Devitt, a constant threat with their intelligent use of the ball.

Barnet introduced all three of their substitutes in the second-half to try and improve their fortunes. Shaun Batt, Luke Gambin and particularly Mauro Vilhete added some urgency but they found the Carlisle rearguard in an uncompromising mood.

From one surge down the right Vilhete did find N’Gala, who was upfront augmenting the attack, but the centre-backs goal bound effort was well-blocked.

With ten minutes remaining John Akinde hit a left-footed effort that made the Carlisle keeper Mark Gillespie dive low to his right to concede a corner but this would be the nearest the Bees would get to levelling the scores.

In the five minutes of play added on Barnet did put the visitors goal under pressure but the Carlisle defence were not unduly troubled and it would be impossible to deny that the three points had gone to the right team.

Carlisle remain unbeaten this season and move up to 6th place in the table; the defeat sending the Bees down to 13th, three points outside the play-off places.

Barnet: Stephens, Taylor, N'Gala, Nelson, Johnson, Nicholls (Vilhete 55), Togwell, Watson (Batt 45), Weston, Akinde, Akpa-Akpro (Gambin 60).

Unused: Vickers, Sesay, Muggleton, Champion.