The Bees win it late to maintain unbeaten pre-season but at a cost reports Nick Sandamas

Barnet FC in a pre-season match with Hornchurch — The Bees in action at Hornchurch (Credit – Nick Sandamas)

The Bees continued their unbeaten pre-season with a late goal from last season’s top scorer Nicke Kabamba enough to defeat last season’s Isthmian League Premier Division champions on a hot day at Bridge Road, but the game was marred by injuries to 3 Barnet players in the first half.

A good interchange of passes between Bees players Ben Coker and Callum Stead in the 12th minute found Billy Clifford who could only float his shot over the Urchins bar in the game’s first chance.

With the heat having an effect on the players, the game was not able to flow and the only other chance of note in the first half came close to half time: it fell to the Urchins when a misplaced pass from Zak Brunt came to the feet of Femi Akinwande who one-on-one saw keeper Nick Hayes stand tall and produce a one-handed stop to prevent the home side from taking the lead going into the break.

However during the first 45, injuries to Rhys Browne (hamstring), Reece Hall-Richards and Nik Taveras forced the Bees to rejig their plans.

The second half followed almost the same pattern with few opportunities on goal.

Urchins Joe Christou saw his effort deflected wide for a corner at just past the midway point.

Then with five minutes left, the Bees pounced to score and secure a 1-0 win when a corner by Coker was cleared out as far as Myles Kenlock. He whipped the ball into the box from the left straight to Kabamba who cleverly looped his header over keeper Joe Wraight and into the corner of the net for the winner.

All in all a tough game against the newly-promoted National South side with the one goal eventually being enough.

With the National League season just two weeks away, the Bees have two more pre-season friendlies to finish off with, the first is on Tuesday away to Hampton and Richmond Borough followed by League 2 side AFC Wimbledon at The Hive next Saturday.

Starting XI: Hayes, Taveras, Oluwo, Kenlock, Coker, Hall-Richards, Hartigan, Clifford, Browne, Stead, Kabamba

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