Goals from Curtis Weston and John Akinde, his 17th of the campaign, were enough to secure another away victory over lowly Cheltenham Town and keep the Bees knocking on the door to the play-off positions following their 2-1 victory in the Cotswolds.

Barnet have now recorded five victories on the road and this display was a significant improvement on the showing against local rivals Stevenage ten days ago.

The interim management duo of Rossi Eames and Henry Newman made two changes to their line-up for this Boxing Day fixture with Alex Nicholls and Jean- Louis Akpa Akpro being selected ahead of Ryan Watson and Ephron Mason-Clark.

Nicholls operated largely on the left flank with the left-footed Luke Gambin on the right, a positional ploy that worked well, with the tireless Akpa Akpro proving an admirable foil for the prolific Akinde.

The Barnet keeper was troubled by the bright sunlight which impaired his vision in the opening exchanges but thankfully the sun soon set.

Cheltenham’s midfield giant Harry Pell was a key figure early on, he was a danger at set-plays and he was seeing a lot of the ball, but when his influence waned the Bees began to assert themselves.

Teenager Jack Taylor was again impressive for Barnet, breaking up play in midfield and using the ball intelligently.

The Bees took the lead in the eighth minute. Elliott Jonson showed persistence in an advanced position and delivered a pin-point centre from the left to Gambin, whose volley crashed against the bar. Weston was the first to react and stabbed the ball home from close range.

Barnet then had numerous opportunities to extend their lead with Akinde leading the Robins’ rearguard a merry dance. Nicholls blazed over when well positioned, a Bira Dembele header went close and a solo run from Akinde saw the striker thwarted only by the upright after he had cut through the Cheltenham defence with ease.

The home side did occasionally pose a threat and Danny Wright, a striker in the mould of the traditional centre forward, hit a post from six yards to raise the hopes of the bulk of the holiday crowd.

With half-time looming the two sides sought to either level or extend their lead in an exhilarating passage of play with both goalmouths coming under intense pressure.

But it was the hosts who struck when a well-judged free-kick by Jack Munns saw Wright glance an equalising header into the Barnet net with just two minutes of the first-half remaining.

The visitors re-established their lead within six minutes of the second-half. An astute throw-out by Jamie Stephens set Gambin free down the right and he then passed the ball into the path of Akinde, whose finish was clinical.

The home side almost fortuitously drew level when a Dembele back pass hit a divot which Stephens, having mis-judged was then grateful to scramble the ball to safety.

Another delightful cross from Gambin from the right saw Akinde’s header again strike the woodwork as the Bees sought to extend their lead and Gambin too would later hit a post from close range.

Barnet made two tactical substitutions designed to stifle the opposition with Sam Muggleton and Alie Sesay both bolstering their defensive capabilities.

The home side took the initiative but Stephens and Barnet’s defence saw out the game and as the clock ticked down they were rarely troubled.

Barnet: Stephens, Vilhete, Dembélé, Nelson, Johnson, Nicholls (Campbell-Ryce 72), Weston, J.Taylor, Gambin (Sesay 86), Akinde, Akpa-Akpro (Muggleton 74). Unused subs: Vickers, H. Taylor, Kyei, Amaluzor.