If tIf this is to be Barnet’s last season at Underhill there will not be many more contentious evenings as the Bees 2-2 draw against Cheltenham Town. The Robins had taken the lead through Kaid Mohamed but a goal from Izale McLeod levelled the contest. Just before half time Darryl Duffy scored a penalty but McLeod grabbed his second of the game from the opposite spot to ensure his side took a share of the points.
Lawrie Sanchez made one change to his Barnet side as Michael Hector returned in defence in place of Darren Dennehy. After an instantly forgettable opening five minutes the Bees had three good chances to take the lead. Mark Hughes first sent a side footed shot from the edge of the area just wide of Scott Brown’s post. Then top scorer McLeod broke through the Robin’s defence to get on the end of a bouncing pass. Brown was hesitant to come and collect the ball and McLeod lobbed the keeper only to see his effort well cleared off the line. Seconds later a Barnet pass was intercepted and the ball rolled to Mark Byrne who smashed a 25 yard strike inches wide of Brown’s left hand post. The game then settled down and both sides had spells of possession without really threatening each other’s goal.
The visitors then worked their first real attempt on the Barnet goal as Duffy got behind and fired wide. The Robins began to take control of the game and James Spencer came close to breaking the deadlock when he got on the end of a Duffy cross, but with Danny Senda in close attendance he was only able to fire over from six yards. However, it proved only a temporary reprieve for Barnet as minutes later the visitors took the lead. Sanchez had anticipated a tough test against Town but the simplicity of their goal will have annoyed the Bees boss.
A corner was fired in towards the Barnet six yard box and Mohamed powerfully met the ball to head past Dean Brill. Go back a few months and conceding a goal against a team in the automatic promotion places would’ve shaken the confidence of the Bees. But Sanchez has now instilled a belief in his side that allowed Barnet to regain control of the match. Mark Marshall first came close with a shot that was well saved by Brown before, unsurprisingly, McLeod scored the Bees’ equaliser. Sam Deering collected a pass and found space on the left hand side of the box.
He looked up and slid the ball in towards goal where McLeod reacted quickest to turn the ball home. Two minutes later Cheltenham scored thanks to a Duffy penalty. How the referee came to the conclusion to point to the spot takes some explaining though. The visitor’s had a free kick 40 yards out that was played low into the Barnet box. The ball was cleared but the referee had blown the whistle. Not one player had appealed for a foul and when that happens it is somewhat safe to assume that the referee has made an error. So the Bees went in behind at the break and at the start of the second half Sanchez sat in the stands after no doubt remonstrating with the referee during the interval. Both sides’s found it difficult to create any chance of note at the start of the second period and the Barnet fans felt their side should have been awarded a penalty for a foul on McLeod. However, just before the hour mark the Bees were awarded a spot kick.
McLeod received the ball just past the halfway line and did brilliantly to skip past two defenders before Sido Jombati hauled over the striker. It could’ve been a possible red card but referee Simon Hooper only produced a yellow for Jombati. McLeod did however make the defender pay by firing his free kick past Brown to level the game for the second time. Barnet controlled the majority of the second period but were finding it hard to break through a stubborn Robins’ back line. After being on the back-foot for the majority of the second period, Cheltenham had a great chance to snatch the three points. A long ball over the Bees’ defence was not dealt with and Brian Smikle had a chance from eight yards that he put high and wide of Brill’s goal. It proved to be a decisive miss as the game ended as a draw and Barnet will have been slightly disappointed with just a point.
The Bees return to action on Boxing day as they travel to Dagenham and Redbridge. Barnet: Brill, Senda, Hector, Downing, Borrowdale, Kamdjo, Hughes, Byrne, Deering, Marshall, McLeod. Barnet Substitutes: O’Brien, N’Diaye, Holmes, Dennehy, Baseya. Cheltenham Town: Brown, Elliot, Pack, Low, Duffy, Spencer, Bennett, Garbutt, Jombati, Mohamed, Summerfield. Cheltenham Town Substitutes: Lowe, Goulding, Smikle, Graham, Reid. Attendance: 1,775 (220).