Once Wycombe Wanderers took the lead when they converted a penalty early in the second half Barnet’s chances of taking anything from the game evaporated and their 2-0 defeat, the 22nd of the season, saw the Bees return to the bottom of the table, with relegation looking increasingly the only possible outcome.

Manager Graham Westley selected Shaq Coulthirst, John Akinde and Alex Nicholls in an attacking 4-3-3 formation with goalkeeper Craig Ross recalled to replace the injured George Legg.

Despite the sub-zero temperature, the pitch was deemed playable after an inspection but the occasional snow flurry and the swirling wind made coherent play difficult.

Coulthirst was the first to show for the Bees when he got his shot away after only three minutes but his effort went harmlessly past an upright.

The visitors were enjoying the bulk of the possession and with dangerous winger Nick Freeman in fine form, the hosts were on the back foot for most of the first half.

Yet from a Ruben Bover free kick in the 33rd minute, where he astutely picked out an unmarked Curtis Weston lurking at the far post, Barnet should have taken the lead.

The Barnet skipper steered the ball into the six0yard box and in the resulting melee the ball fell invitingly to Akinde who hit the crossbar from very close range.

It was a bad miss and even with an hour of football left to play, it seemed like a significant moment and Barnet would not come as close to scoring again.

Just before the interval Freeman advanced down the left flank and his delivery should have been converted by Craig Mackail-Smith, who opted to attempt the chest the ball into the goal and his tame effort was easily collected by the waiting keeper Ross.

Wycombe eventually took the lead in the seventh minute of the second half. Ryan Watson was harshly adjudged to have impeded Mackail-Smith as the former Scottish international bore down on the Barnet goal. Joe Jacobson calmly stepped up to strike the ball firmly past Ross in front of more than 1,000 travelling fans.

Matt Bloomfield then headed over from a good position after being set up by Freeman as the Chairboys took total control of proceedings and went in search of further goals rather than hold onto their single goal advantage.

The match was over as a contest in the in the 72nd minute when Luke O’Nien’s free-kick took a deflection off of Ricardo Santos into the Barnet net.

The Bees were now being set the task of scoring twice in a game in secure a draw, a feat they have not achieved this calendar year.

Barnet responded with a few long-range efforts on the Wycombe goal, none of which troubled keeper Scott Brown who had had a quiet afternoon.

Adebayo Akinfenwa spurned a good opportunity late on but by this stage it was clear that Wanderers would be returning to Buckinghamshire with all three points.

Barnet can have no complaints about the outcome; Wycombe gradually assumed dominance in the game with Akinde’s miss in the first half the only time their defence had a genuine anxious moment.

The win sees Wanderers kept out of the automatic promotion spots by goal difference only, whilst the Bees return to the basement some seven points adrift with only eight games of the season remaining.

Barnet: Ross, Vilhete (Brindley 42), Sweeney, Santos, Tutonda, Watson, Weston , Bover (J.Taylor 65), Coulthirst (Clough 75), Akinde, Nicholls. Subs not used: Akinola, Akpa Akpro, McKenzie-Lyle, Nicholson.