A seven goal thriller at Underhill

This Saturday, the Bees travel to Lincoln City aiming to improve on a poor run of only 3 points from 7 matches. Barnet and Lincoln City have played each other a number of times, both in the Football League and in the Conference. One of the most memorable matches was back in October 2000 in a Nationwide League Division Three match early on in the season that was to end in disaster for the Bees. At the time of this match, Barnet were lying 12^th.

Conditions were difficult with a gale force blowing and Barnet were struggling to get out of their own half playing into the wind. Lincoln went 1-0 up early in the game when a Gordon shot was deflected past Danny Naisbitt by Warren Goodhind. Worse was to follow when after 24 minutes, Peacock drove a 20 yard volley past Naisbitt to put Lincoln 2-0 up. Two minutes later and Lincoln went 3-0 up when Gordon scored his second goal, running onto a long through ball and going round Naisbitt to score.

Barnet were struggling badly now, but after 28 minutes, following a Darren Currie corner, Stuart Niven buried a 25 yard shot low and hard into the net to pull the score back to 1-3. Barnet pressed hard but were still two goals down at half time.

Barnet started the second half strongly and it was now Lincoln who were struggling to get out of their own half. Eight minutes into the 2^nd half, Warren Goodhind sent a looping header over Lincoln keeper, Marriot to bring the score back to 2-3. A 20 yard shot from Omar Riza hit the inside of the post and rolled along the line only for Frazer Toms to blaze over an open goal from an acute angle.

With Barnet beginning to look as though they had run out of ideas, Riza picked up a loose ball, dribbled past four defenders and drove the ball past Marriot from an acute angle to level the scores to the delight of the fans. Four minutes later and the fans went totally wild as a Darren Currie corner was bundled in at the near post by Tony Richards to put Barnet ahead at 4-3.

It looked as though it was all over when the board went up for 3 minutes added time up. A long ball wrong footed Goodhind but mark Arber seemed to have cleared the danger following a superb sliding tackle. Astonishingly, the referee awarded a penalty and it seemed Lincoln had been handed a lifeline, but Danny Naisbitt dived low to his left to smother the ball and win an amazing match for the Bees.

The next home match also saw seven goals, this time all by Barnet and it also marked the debut of a certain player-manager!!! It is also worth noting that the attendance for this home Saturday fixture in October was just 1642.

Barnet; Naisbitt; Stockley, Goodhind, Arber, Sawyers; Currie, Niven, Doolan, Toms; Richards, Riza.

Lincoln: Marriot; Barnett, Mayo, Brown, Holmes; Finnigan, Thorpe, Peacock, Schofield (Battersby); Gordon, Walker.