A superbly well-taken goal by substitute Alex Nicholls in the 79th minute gave the Bees a 1-0 victory at the Globe Arena against Morecambe and means their fight to avoid relegation will go to the wire.

If Barnet defeat Chesterfield at the Hive in their final fixture of the season and play-off seeking Coventry City should secure a home victory over Morecambe, it will see the Lancashire outfit drop out of the EFL.

It was essential that Barnet won this fixture. Anything less would mean relegation back to the fifth tier; just three seasons after winning promotion from the Conference in 2015.

Barnet boss Martin Allen picked a team crammed with forwards, mustering as much goal-threat as possible.

Almost 250 Barnet fans had made the long journey and they were rewarded with an excellent performance, with the visiting players working tirelessly for the cause.

In the first half, against the wind and with a slight slope also against them, Barnet were content to soak up the pressure and hit their opponents on the break.

The Bees’ hopes suffered a blow just after the half-hour mark when impressive forward Simeon Akinola was stretchered off. Nicholls was summoned from the bench and performed a similar role on the flanks.

A low Richard Brindley shot that went narrowly wide of an upright and from a neat headed effort from Ricardo Santos from a corner were Barnet’s most notable attempts on goal in the opening period.

With Morecambe needing only the keep a clean sheet to consign the Bees to relegation, the first half saw misplaced passes aplenty with both sides fully aware of the consequences of conceding a goal to the other.

Barnet stepped up a gear in the second half and almost all the play was now in Morecambe’s half.

John Akinde cut in from the left and his powerful shot was well parried by Morecambe’s veteran Barry Roche, with the Shrimps keeper much the busier than Craig Ross, his Barnet counterpart.

It seemed merely a matter of time before Barnet would score but with time ticking down a degree of nervousness crept in and Morecambe began to sense that they might manage to hold out.

But in the 79th minute the tide turned in Barnet’s favour. Substitute Ryan Watson lofted a ball forward up to Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro whose intelligent flick found Nicholls and he lashed the ball home with skill, power and precision.

Immediately the roles dramatically reversed with Barnet now desperate to hold onto their hard-fought advantage and with the home side launching wave after wave of attack.

Akinde did have a breakaway opportunity to put the match beyond Morecambe’s reach in this period, but Roche made a good save with Jack Taylor just unable to convert the rebound.

Barnet held firm with skipper Dan Sweeney leading by example to ensure that the Bees could record their first away victory under Allen and take their fight for survival down to the final day.

Barnet: Ross, Brindley, Santos, Nelson (Watson 76), Tutonda, Akpa Akpro, Sweeney, Weston, Akinola (Nicholls 32), Akinde, Coulthirst (J.Taylor 70). Subs not used: Clough, Bover, Payne, Legg.