Nick Sandamas sees table-topping Barnet beat Yeovil

Barnet FC playing against Yeovil Town in the National League — Barnet take on Yeovil at The Hive – (Credit – Nick Sandamas)

Barnet’s march to the National League title and promotion to the English Football League continued with five-goal thrashing of a depleted Yeovil Town side. This result meant that, with rivals York City & Forest Green both losing, the Bees now have a nine-point advantage with ten games to play.

The Bees pinned their opponents in their own half for much of the game. As with most opposition who have come to The Hive, Yeovil came to defend, but the Bees found a way through.

The Bees stuck with the same starting eleven from Saturday’s win at Oldham and the first chance of this encounter fell to Ryan Glover on twelve minutes with an effort which went just over the bar.

Five minutes later, the Bees got the early goal they deserved when a great cross from the right by Idris Kanu came to Ben Coker who headed against the bar and the ball came out to Glover to score.

Anthony Hartigan stung the palms of Yeovil stopper Aiden Stone with a low long-range shot soon after which the keeper held at the second attempt.

The Glovers made their first foray into the Bees’ box on 25 minutes but Harvey Greenslade’s shot whistled wide of the far post.

Then Kanu shot wide and Zak Brunt shot past the post as the Bees continued to pepper the Glover’s goal.

The Bees’ domination showed on 37 minutes with goal number two: Ben Coker’s low cross into the six-yard box found Callum Stead who turned and fired the ball into the net off the inside of the post to take him to thirteen goals for the season.

Then, with a minute till the half time cuppa, Danny Collinge let fly with a low shot which Stone turned behind for a corner and, from the corner kick, it came back out to Hartigan who produced a sweet curler into the far corner of the net to all but seal the three points.

With the result no longer in doubt, the second half saw a slower pace which allowed both sides to make changes. Then, on 72 minutes Ryan McLean had an opportunity to get the visitors on the scoresheet but fired his shot wildly wide.

Minutes later, Bees sub Dom Telford had a sniff of scoring a fourth goal but Stone palmed his shot away from close range.

Two penalties in the last ten minutes sealed an emphatic win for the runaway league leaders.

First, Telford was bought down by Finn Cousin-Dawson and Harry Chapman (recently returned from injury) slotted low into the net. Then, four minutes later, a second penalty was awarded when Jordan Cropper was chopped down by Alex Whittle and this time Telford took the responsibility and slotted low into the net to give the Bees a magical five.

Chapman even had a chance to score a sixth when he produced a Lionel Messi like run, evading three challenges, before bursting into the area, but the ball just trickled wide of the far post.

The Bees are now unbeaten in 23 league games and, with their rivals continuing to falter, they keep going in the true belief that the title is edging ever closer.

They will have a great chance to extend that lead even further on Saturday with a lunchtime game against lower mid-table Dagenham & Redbridge with all eyes then firmly fixed later on with the teatime game between York & Forest Green.

Team: Evans, Coker, Collinge, Tavares (Grimwood 75), Kenlock, Glover (Clifford 68), Brunt (Chapman 60), Hartigan, Stead, Ndlovu (Telford 60), Kanu (Cropper 75)

Subs not used: Ballagambi, Oluwo

Attendance 1596 (180 away fans)

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