Barnet were comprehensively beaten 5-0 by Norwich City at The Hive in the second match at the group stage of the Checkatrade Trophy at The Hive on Tuesday in front of a sub-500 crowd.

The Bees finished the game with just nine players; Bondz N’Gala had been unfortunate to receive a red card in the first-half with Elliott Johnson forced to leave the field of play in the closing stages with an ankle injury after Barnet had used all their substitutes.

Both teams were a mixture of the experienced and the up and coming. The Norwich side contained a full international for Portugal, Nelson Oliveira and the Canaries had reputedly paid £8m for midfielder Alex Pritchard.

Manager Martin Allen retained just four players from Saturday’s scoreless home draw against Leyton Orient, he selected an experienced defence, but gave Barnet’s promising crop of attacking players a chance to stake a claim for inclusion in the League team.

Until the sending off in the 33rd minute Barnet were more than holding their own, Nana Kyei coming close in the 15th minute to scoring from a Ryan Watson long throw.

Barnet’s experiment of playing with three centre-backs and with two wing-backs was brought to an abrupt halt with N’Gala’s dismissal. Mauro Vilhete and Johnson were contributing to Barnet’s attack and when the visitors were in possession the five-man rearguard held firm.

Josh Murphy had previously been wasteful for the visitors found the back of the net moments before half-time with a neat pass into the net past Josh Vickers.

Despite being a man light Barnet took the game to the visitors in the early stages of the second-half.

Jack Taylor’s lob nearly levelled the score in the 54th minute only for the Norwich defence to scramble the ball to safety.

Seconds later Murphy scored his second of the night with a powerful left-footed drive after he had been cleverly set-up by Oliviera.

An uphill task become a mountain to climb when Sergi Canos, a £2.5m summer signing from Liverpool, saw his shot deflected into the net to extend Norwich’s lead in the 69th minute.

Despite the valiant efforts of the Barnet youngsters Norwich took full advantage of their extra man and were by now in almost total control.

Oliviera then scored the goal of the goal of the night, the visitors’ fourth, with a well-struck curling effort from 25 yards that found the top-right corner with unerring accuracy.

After Johnson’s injury Barnet finished the match with a formation of four defenders and four midfielders, but the attempt at damage limitation was undone when Murphy, with a minute remaining, completed his hat-trick with another firmly hit drive.

After the sending-off the game became a mismatch, and despite impressive displays by Barnet’s teenage midfielders Kei and Taylor in particular the visitors were able to cruise to victory.

Barnet: Vickers, Vilhete, Sesay, N’Gala, Dembele, Johnson, J. Taylor, Watson (Muggleton 65), Kyei, Shomotun (Tomlinson HT), Amaluzor (Mason-Clark 59).

Unused: Stephens (GK), Fonguck, Cojocarel, Payne.