Kicking the losing habit is never easy.

And there was a sort of predictability about the outcome of this dire clash at Meadow Lane.

Barnet have had too many of these sort of performances away from home this season.

Manager Ian Hendon admitted: "We just didn't perform."

The Magpies did not really either, but they struck two quality goals in each half to see off the punchless Bees.

The result was never really in doubt once the hosts had got their noses in front two minutes before the break, and it was not the first time Barnet have conceded a goal at such a crucial moment in the game.

If they had survived until the interval, it might have been a different story.

But a second goal on the hour finished them off and the final half an hour, though Barnet continued to go forward, was pretty much a non-event, as was the entire 90 minutes to be frank.

Hendon added: "I don't think we got enough from certain players, especially in the attacking half of the pitch."

That was a complete contrast to the previous match, but on this occasion certain players seemed a little too quick to accept their fate. Many did not look like they believed the Bees could get back in the game, and went through the motions, as though they had seen it all before. The fans certainly had.

To be honest, County did not really have to get out of first gear, the home keeper barely having a shot to save.

Neither side offered much in a first half very short on entertainment, a sandy pitch not inviting fast, free-flowing football.

The match did not deserve such a sweet opening goal. Joe Devera's loose clearance gave Matt Hamshaw the chance to lob Lee Harrison, who was slightly off his line, and the County player, from the edge of the box, did so with ease. It was a cool finish.

Jamie Clapham struck an even better second on the hour. His curling free-kick into the top corner was so precise, the 6ft 4in Gary Breen could not reach the ball with his head, even though he had been stationed on the line.

There were some plusses, but not many. Yannick Bolasie has not surprisingly had his loan extended for another month. He again looked sharp and was not afraid to run at his marker, though not quite with as much success as in the previous game.

With exception to Devera's mistake, the defence looked a little more solid, with Breen looking assured and in control.

However, on the whole, this was a sterile Barnet performance and a comfortable win for the mid-table hosts. With the Bees continuing to stutter on home soil, they might have to rely on picking up a few more wins on their travels.

Sadly, that never really looked like happening on Saturday.

BARNET (4-4-2): Harrison; Devera, Yakubu (Porter 45), Breen, Lockwood; Adomah, Hughes, Bishop, Bolasie (Akurang 86); Furlong (Birchall 67), O'Flynn. Subs not used: Kadoch, Deverdics.

Attendance: 3,830.