Dean Brennan was left frustrated by Barnet's lack of cutting edge in the final third for the second week running as the Bees were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Crewe on Tuesday.
January signing Kabongo Tshimanga continued his fine start to life in north London as he opened the scoring for the hosts with a tidy finish from the edge of the box.
But despite numerous chances to extend their lead throughout the first 45 minutes, Brennan’s side were pegged back by Crewe’s Owen Lunt in the 32nd minute as he swept the ball past Cieran Slicker from a cutback.
Speaking to Barnet TV post-match, Brennan’s frustrations were clear: “It was a bit like Saturday. I’m frustrated. Not enough cutting edge in our game at the top end of the pitch, and when we were really dominant in the first half, we didn’t get a big enough lead,” he said.
“They (Crewe) scored a fantastic team goal, but we didn’t build a big enough lead when we were really dominant. In the second half, we just haven’t done enough. I think we’ve had seven or eight corners and seventy per cent possession. We just haven’t done enough in the top end of the pitch.”
Barnet goalkeeper Cieran Slicker was called into action in the second half on more than one occasion, making a pair of outstanding saves to keep Brennan’s team in the match.
“He made an unbelievable save, outstretched, and he got clattered after it. It was a sensational save. When you make a save like that, you really don’t want your goalkeeper to concede,” said Brennan.
“But what I would say is that they (Crewe) scored a really good combination goal down the left-hand side. We have to be respectful of the opposition as well, but Slicks has been amazing for us.”
The match fell a day ahead of the closure of the January transfer window deadline, and Brennan revealed that Barnet were forced to bat away offers for some key players just 24 hours before the game against Crewe.
“A lot went on yesterday. A lot goes on behind the scenes that people don’t see, so yesterday was a long, frustrating day,” said Brennan. "We had a lot of offers for a lot of our players, and we understand our players all want to go up the food chain. We get that, but the offers have to be right for the football club.
“We had a little bit of time today when we had to have individual conversations with players, which is never ideal before you go into a match, but we had to do that, and it had to be done. Our chairman will do what’s best for this football club.
And Brennan felt that more could have been done during the January window to bolster the options at his disposal despite securing the loan signing of young winger Jack Howland from Millwall.
“From our point of view, we never got enough done yesterday. To only bring in one player was disappointing, but I understand it, and I get it. It is what it is," added the Barnet boss.
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