Nick Sandamas reports on a five goal thriller at The Hive

The main stand at The Hive Stadium, home of Barnet FC — The Hive (Credit – Katie Chan, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Ten man Barnet scored a late winner through debutant Kabongo Tshimanga to take all three points against Oldham Athletic at The Hive yesterday.

Tshimanga was one of three players making their debuts for the black and amber with on loan Leyton Orient duo Phillip Chinedu and Dialling Jaiyesimi also in the starting eleven.

However, it was the Latics who struck first with eleven minutes gone when Joe Garner played the ball back to Tom Pett who hit a first time shot low into the net beyond the reach of Bees’ keeper Ciaran Slicker.

Barnet were then indebted to Slicker for keeping the score down to one as he denied Kane Drummond with a strike which he beat away and a minute later tipped Donovan Daniels header over the bar.

Then, totally against the run of play, Ryan Glover levelled on 36 minutes when the recalled Anthony Hartigan put a right sided free kick into the danger area and Danny Collinge just got a boot to the ball to take it towards the goal line for Glover to poke home from a yard out.

Then, with the fourth official putting the board up for two minutes of stoppage time, the Bees were awarded a spot kick when Hartigan’s free kick hit an arm and the referee pointed straight to the spot. Tshimanga took aim from 12 yards, firing the ball into the roof of the net to give the Bees a half time lead against the run of play.

Mark Shelton came on at the start of the second half in place of Jaiyesimi.

The Latics made a change on the hour mark, bringing on Mike Fondop to add bite to their attack and the game took a turn on 65 minutes when Nik Taveres was red carded for bringing down Drummond inside his own half: the centre half denying the number 15 a certain run on goal.

Within four minutes, the Latics made the extra man count, with Jack Stevens in acres of space on the left firing past the sprawling Slicker to level matters.

With the Latics looking more likely to grab all three points, it was the Bees who won it with three minutes of normal time remaining when an attempted cross from the right by Glover sailed over keeper Matt Hudson’s head onto the inside of the post, the ball bounced towards the six yard box and Tshimanga reacted quickest to beat Hudson for the winner.

The Bees held on in the five minutes of time added on to nab all three points in an entertaining encounter.

They are back in action on Tuesday when they face Tranmere Rovers at home for the first time ever with the Bees hoping to complete the double over their opponents following their win against them in the away fixture earlier this season.

Team: Slicker, Collinge, Senior, Tavares, Jaiyesimi (Shelton 60), Glover, Ofoborh, Hartigan (Kizzi 65), Chinedu (Smith 71), Tshimanga, Kanu (Hawkins 82)

Subs not used: Evans, Browne, Assombalonga

Attendance 2715

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