A hat-trick by Giuliano Grazioli helped Barnet secure all three points in an impressive victory against Halifax Town.
Grazioli got his treble to take his season tally to eight following his summer move to the Bees as part of the transfer that took Junior Agogo to Bristol Rovers.
However, worryingly for Barnet, Grazioli limped off the pitch with ten minutes remaining with an ankle injury.
Barnet had made a great start to the game and Ben Strevens should have opened the scoring but side-footed an effort wide of the post when unmarked in the box.
However, the Bees did not have to wait long before they took the lead in the eighth minute.
Joe Gamble split the Halifax defence with a throughball that found Grazioli and the striker beat Clint Davies from close range.
Halifax quickly fought back and a hopeful free kick from 35 yards taken by Craig Midgley nearly beat Daniel Naisbitt but hit the outside of the post.
The scores were level in the 15th minute when Midgley finished off a great passing move that had involved three players as the Bees defence was carved open.
Just before half time Barnet retook the lead after good work from Mark Williams who impressed throughout the game on the right wing.
He had won a free kick that he took himself and he crossed for the unmarked Chris Plummer to head home from five yards.
Barnet dominated the second half and cruised to the three points. Grazioli grabbed his second in the 51st minute after a Williams corner had been flicked on by Ian Hendon for the striker to score from three yards out.
The fourth Barnet goal came in the 69th minute from a Grazioli shot that took a deflection and left Davies no chance in the Halifax goal.
Norman Silla replaced the injured Grazioli with ten minutes left and almost scored his first goal for the club but hit the post in injury time.
Barnet manager Martin Allen was pleased with the effort of his players saying: "The team played well.
"It was a competitive game and our players have done OK. It was a total performance and they all want to do well and are working hard. Grazioli took a knock on his ankle but we will find out more on Monday."
4.
Barnet 2-1 Leigh RMI, 2003/2004. Giuliano scored the goal that sent the Bees in to the 2003/2004 Nationwide Conference play offs! The Bees had gone behind after a David Mcniven penalty until Ismail Yakubu leveled for the Bees then early in the second half Graz struck to give the Bees the lead and send them in to the play offs!
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Barnet secured a place in the play-offs against Shrewsbury after defeating already relegated Leigh RMI 2-1.
In an incredible one-sided affair at Underhill, Barnet could have totalled up a score running into double figures but Leigh's goalkeeper Ian Martin was in fine form.
The victory leaves Barnet captain Ian Hendon confident that his side can achieve a place in Division Three.
He said: "No disrespect to Leigh but we set out our stall from the start and we carried it out til the end.
"On another day it could have been six or seven. We've played like that for the last six or seven games and I'm confident we can reach the next division." It did not start well for the Bees after only six minutes David McNiven converted from the penalty spot after Tristram Whitman was fouled in the area.
Referee Mr Lewis' decision looked harsh but the former Hamilton and Oldham striker made no mistake with a venomous strike straight down the middle.
After that it was all one-way traffic as Barnet pressed for the equaliser.
Giuliano Grazioli had a chance to level the score when he was put through on goal with only Martin to beat but the striker's shot was saved by the former Coleraine stopper with his legs.
After 13 minutes Grazioli had another great chance after a slip by Gavin Ellison presented him with another one-on-one opportunity.
The goalkeeper's legs again came to Leigh's rescue and Grazioli's follow up was then cleared off the line by Martin Lancaster.
On 16 minutes Barnet got an equaliser and it was no less than they deserved. Ismail Yakabu connected well with Jo Gamble's free-kick to power his header past Martin.
Chances continued to fall Barnet's way. Liam Hatch's shot was saved by Martin and then Hatch again missed a golden opportunity when he fired into the stands from only two yards out.
Barnet continued to test Martin's mettle. In the 56th minute Grazioli latched onto a long ball but squeezed his shot wide of the post. Two minutes later, the striker made no mistake.
Shane Gore's goal-kick was flicked on by Hatch and Grazioli slipped his marker to score his 24th goal of the season with a low shot under Martin.
The Railwaymen looked to bolster their defence with the introduction of Liam Coyne but his appearance lasted only eight minutes.
Coyne received a straight red card after deliberately hand-balling Grazioli's goal bound shot on the line.
Hendon stepped up to take the spot kick but Martin produced a stunning right-handed save to turn the ball away for a corner.
3.
Leigh 1-4 Barnet. Again against Leigh RMI and in the same season Graz scored a hat trick infront of only 300 fans. All of Graz's goals came in the second half.
Barnet moved up to fourth in the Nationwide Conference table as they eased to a 4-1 win at struggling Leigh RMI.
The former Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town striker Giuliano Grazioli netted a second-half hat-trick to bring his tally for the season to 16 as the Bees threatened to run riot.
Grazioli should have given Martin Allen's side an early lead but his shot was saved by Leigh keeper Gary Kelly.
Chris Plummer then saw his header hit the woodwork as Barnet continued to dominate.
They finally took the lead four minutes after the interval when Grazioli turned in Simon King's inviting cross.
Ian Monk then forced Ricky Millard into a fine save as Leigh battled to get themselves back on level terms.
But the visitors doubled their lead in the 62nd minute as Grazioli latched on to Mark Rooney's pass before firing home.
A minute later, Grazioli completed his hat-trick when he rammed home Ian Hendon's cross.
Lewis Hogg added a fourth goal for Barnet with six minutes left before former York City striker David McNiven hit a late consolation goal for Leigh from the penalty spot.
| Giuliano Grazioli began his 30th birthday celebrations in style with a first-half hat-trick, as Barnet romped home to a 7-1 victory over Farnborough at Underhill - the Bees' biggest win of the season. Farnborough found themselves a goal up after six minutes when Anthony Charles pulled down Robert Traynor and Jay Smith curled a wonderfully executed strike over the wall and into Scott Tynan's bottom right-hand corner. But the early goal only seemed to spur Barnet on. In the 14th minute Grazioli pounced on a Jake Cole error to roll the ball into the empty net. He followed it up with a delightful lob, and a side-footed finish completed his hat-trick. In between Richard Graham hit Barnet's third to leave Farnborough totally shell-shocked at the interval. Boro boss Neil Sillett made three changes at half-time and the risk back-fired when Cole was involved in a head-on collision with substitute Lee Roach in the 67th minute. The 19-year-old keeper had to be stretchered off. Having used up all of their substitutes, left-back Jimmy Turner found himself between the sticks. After Tony Taggart's was sent off for two bookings Farnborough were always fighting a losing battle. Turner was finally beaten when substitute Damien Batt drove home following good work by Roach. Roach and Dean Sinclair completed the rout late on. Barnet took full advantage of Boro's lack of discipline which was compounded by Kevin Hemsley's late dismissal for a professional foul. The Bees now look odds-on to achieve promotion after completing their third victory in a row. This was Farnborough's fourth defeat on the spin and they are running out of time to save their Conference place. |
Burton's ten men just failed to rescue a point after scoring two late goals in a bad tempered affair at Eton Park.
Barnet seemed to be strolling to victory when they built a three-goal lead after Brewers midfielder Christian Moore had been sent off for violent conduct.
But the Londoners had to hang on at the end as Burton dragged themselves off the floor to score headed goals by Robbie Talbot and Steve Chettle.
Referee Shaun Proctor-Green was the busiest man on the pitch, dishing out eight yellow cards as well as showing Moore a red one.
Barnet were the big offenders in the first half when they gave away the majority of the 30 fouls that made it a stop-start affair.
But the visitors also had a monopoly of the ball and could easily have been in front in the first 15 minutes.
One spell of heavy pressure had Burton reeling with Ismail Yakabu having an overhead kick blocked before Ben Strevens had his lob tipped over by Matt Duke and Yakabu was denied again, this time by Darren Stride's goal-line clearance.
Burton finally yielded to this pressure in the 36th minute, when the dangerous Yakabu pulled the ball back from the byline and Giuliano Grazioli scooped the ball over the line at the second attempt despite being off balance.
It went from bad to worse for Burton in an 11-minute spell of the second half.
Moore was sent off in the 48th minute for elbowing Joe Gamble and 11 minutes later the home team shot themselves in the foot again when Terry Henshaw's mis-hit clearance 20 yards out looped over the head of Duke and into his own net.
Barnet stretched their lead with a superb breakaway attack that ended with Grazioli tapping in his second goal from Mark Rooney's low cross to the far post.
But Burton fought back bravely after re-organising their attack and Talbot scored his first goal since joining the club with a close range header from Aaron Webster's corner in the 84th minute.
Barnet were found wanting at another set piece three minutes later when Chettle powered home a header from Jon Howard's corner but despite frantic late pressure the Londoners held out for what was, in truth, a deserved victory.