Dean Brennan was critical of Barnet’s “rubbish” defending despite a last-gasp comeback taking Tuesday’s EFL Cup preliminary round match at home to Newport County to a penalty shootout.
Cameron Antwi and Michael Reindorf put the visitors in first-half control against the newly promoted League Two side, who cruised to National League glory last season.
But Ryan Galvin’s effort deep into second-half stoppage time halved the deficit before Rhys Browne equalised with just seconds remaining to force penalties.
Nik Tzanev was the hero for the visitors as he saved Kane Smith’s effort before Cameron Evans converted to secure a 4-2 shootout victory and book a home tie with Championship side Millwall in the first round.
Brennan told the club website: “I was happy with our bravery. How we kept passing and probing and how we never gave in. It’s a motto of mine - never give in.
“We kept going. The subs made a huge impact. I think the frustration is the two goals we conceded we gave away. How they were allowed to have them shots was really frustrating.
“Manny Osadebe clears the area before the corner gets put back in on the second phase. He doesn’t do his job. He doesn’t stay as a defender. Their lad (Antwi) gets a free volley, and the goalie (Joe Wright) should save it; I’ve got to be honest, I’ve seen it back."
Brennan continued to exhibit frustration after similarly poor defending was on show for Newport’s second goal.
He added: “The second goal, where they catch us on the counter attack - it’s rubbish defending.
"We’ve got to keep him on the outside, and we’ve got to make a tackle in the wide areas. Our motto at the football club - don’t let people inside. It’s rubbish defending.”
After the Bees went in 2-0 behind at half-time, Brennan turned to his bench looking for a swing of momentum in favour of his side.
He said: “We were a little bit toothless in the first half. I don’t like making subs at half-time but I felt it was needed. I thought Dennis (Adeniran) gave the team a big lift. He showed great bravery, showed great power, and got in great areas.
“We just have to do better. Especially when we get to the hurt zones, as I call them, in the higher ends of the pitch, and we’ve got more quality to our play.”
The defeat sees the Bees bow out of the EFL Cup at the first hurdle, but Brennan admitted priorities lie elsewhere with the club’s League Two campaign starting this weekend.
“You never want to lose, and I think we’ve gone a long time unbeaten here, but it’s not a priority for us. We don’t have the squad to do that,” he said.
Barnet’s League Two campaign gets underway this weekend as they host Fleetwood Town at the Hive on Saturday (3pm).
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