Hatch slays the Dragons

9:33pm Saturday 20th October 2007

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Wrexham 0 Barnet 2 . . .

A Liam Hatch brace made it three league away wins on the trot for high-flying Barnet.

The Bees cruised to victory at the Racecourse Ground this afternoon, the struggling hosts barely putting up a fight.

Hatch, preferred to Jason Norville in the starting line-up, struck twice in ten second-half minutes as Barnet made it nine games unbeaten to move up to fifth in the table.

Apart from a bright opening to the second half, woeful Wrexham offered little, the Barnet back four comfortably dealing with the few home forays into the danger area.

The Bees will probably not have an easier game on their travels this season and, once they had got their noses in front, the points were never in doubt.

The first half was a dour affair, but the resurgent Hatch almost broke the deadlock as early as 11 minutes, when his lob on the turn cleared the home keeper and bounced off the top of the bar.

Wrexham's only effort on the stroke of half-time, a driven Silvio Spann free-kick, was palmed out by Lee Harrison with no home player on hand to pick up the pieces.

Wrexham raised their game in the opening minutes of the second half but, after creating a couple of half-chances, soon began to lose their way again.

And Hatch had the ball in the net on 56 minutes, only to see his header from an Ashley Carew centre ruled out.

Three minutes later, the striker slid in at the far post to turn home a driven Jason Puncheon cross. This time the goal stood.

The Bees continued to push forward and, within ten minutes, Hatch had found the net again.

The striker chased a long Sagi Burton ball and, with the home keeper and a defender getting in each other's way, took advantage of the confusion to squeeze the loose ball home.

Wrexham had long given up hope and could not even grab a consolation in the closing stages, sub Eifion Williams denied by the legs of Harrison in the final minute.

BARNET (4-4-2): Harrison; Devera, O'Cearuill, Burton, Nicolau; Carew, Wright, Bishop, Puncheon; Birchall (Grazioli 87), Hatch (Seanla 90). Subs not used: Beckwith, Hendon, Porter.

Attendance: 3,591.

* See Thursday's paper for full match report and analysis from the Racecourse Ground.