Bogey side Grimsby inflicted yet another crushing defeat on Barnet at a wind-swept Blundell Park this evening.
The Bees have lost all six matches against the Mariners since returning to the Football League.
advertisement
And they were again well beaten, even though they finally notched a first ever goal against the Mariners, Cliff Akurang heading a second-half consolation.
Barnet were forced into a number of changes from the team that drew at Notts County on Saturday.
With Kenny Gillet and Adam Birchall injured, Kieron St Aimee and Giuliano Grazioli came into the side. Keeper Lee Harrison also started, with Rob Beckwith ruled out. That meant there was a place on the bench for keeper Phil Carpenter, signed as emergency cover.
The Bees were to register the first shot, a Neal Bishop volley going straight into the hands of keeper Phil Barnes.
The blustery wind, blowing across the pitch, made it difficult for both sides and there were not surprisingly a number of overhit passes in the opening stages as the players tried to adapt to the conditions.
Grazioli was next to try his luck, but his shot on the turn did not overly test Barnes.
The Mariners had to wait until the 12th minute for their first effort, Harrison turning round a Nick Hegarty snapshot.
Barnet struggled to clear the corner and Harrison then had to beat out a close-range Rob Atkinson effort.
There was not much between the two sides, with both looking capable of breaking the deadlock.
A Josh Wright free kick into the box was only half cleared, but Grazioli slipped as he hit his shot and the ball was sliced well wide.
Both sides were having trouble keeping hold of the ball, the wind clearly playing a major role in the proceedings.
On 29 minutes, Grimsby struck. Hegarty played a one-two with Martin Butler before firing the ball past the advancing Harrison. It was a superb move and split the Barnet defence wide open.
The Bees might have equalised ten minutes before the interval, Akurang making space for himself before shooting just over from the edge of the box.
But it was two just a few minutes before the break. A long Ryan Bennett throw into the box beat everyone and Ismail Yakubu allowed Butler, with his back to goal, to turn and rifle the ball into the roof of the net from eight yards.
The Bees needed a response, but Grazioli saw a close-range shot deflected over on the stroke of half-time.
The half-time score was perhaps a little harsh on Barnet, but they had only really created half chances and lacked the home side's cutting edge.
Grimsby came out for the second half long before the visitors and you could have been forgiven for thinking the Bees had gone home.
And it was to get worse for Barnet. Ten minutes after the restart, Paul Bolland charged down a Nicolau clearance and ran through to slot the ball past Harrison for number three.
On the hour, Akurang and Albert Adomah combined, but the former's final shot was weak and Barnes only had to bend down to pick up the ball. The move had promised so much more.
Adomah then drove over after a good run, as Barnet looked to restore pride.
However, only a fine stop from Harrison at the other end prevented Butler from notching a fourth.
Adomah had another shot for the Bees, but again it was straight at Barnes, while Gary Jones drove across the face of the goal for the hosts.
With the visitors forced to push forward, inevitable gaps began to appear at the back, but at least Paul Fairclough's troops were having a go.
Midway through the half, Grazioli thought he had scored, his near-post header from a Wright corner pushed out by the keeper, though the Barnet players thought the ball had crossed the line before Barnes had got to it.
On 78 minutes, the Bees finally got their reward, Akurang climbing to head home a Nicolau cross from close range. It was no more than they deserved.
Within two minutes, Harrison had to push out another Butler effort. It was another fine save from the experienced keeper, who was having a fine game, despite having conceded three goals.
But he could do nothing to stop Andy Taylor from adding a fourth five minutes from time, the sub bursting through and firing home.
Harrison was again called upon to acrobatically push away a Bennett volley just a minute later, as Grimsby looked to wrap it up in style.
With two minutes to go, Grazioli was presented with another chance, but he scuffed his shot wide.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
