Barnet made it 10 points from four matches over the Christmas and New Year period with a 1-0 home win over struggling Aldershot at the Hive on New Years' Day. Barnet manager, Martin Allen made three changes to the starting line up with David Stephens, Keanu Marsh-Brown and Mauro Vilhete replacing Jack Saville, Luisma Villa and Lee Cook.
Barnet started brightly against an unimpressive Aldeshot and took the lead on 19 minutes. John Akinde fired in a fine shot following a cross from Andy Yiadom, but Shots' keeper, peter Smith, who was sent off in the Boxing Day game at Aldershot, got down well to save. However, Aldershot didn't clear the danger and the ball found it's way across to the left hand side of the penalty area where Mauro Vilhete was able to fire in a fine curling shot, which Smith palmed away but only to Charlie MACDONALD and the Bees' captain was able to bundle it home.
Barnet were totally in control in the first half and the game should have been dead and buried by half time with two glaring misses in particular. First, Keanu Marsh-Brown was played in by MacDonald with nearly the whole of the goal to aim at and failed to score firing directly at a defender. Then, in time added on at the end of the first half, Mauro Vilhete found himself right in front of the goal with the ball at his feet following a Yiadom free kick, but could only hit his shot right into Peter Smith's hands.
HT: Bees 1 Shots 0
Barnet missed another good chance early in the second half when Marsh-Brown and Akinde were both through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat but Marsh-Brown, in an offside position, played the ball instead of leaving it to Akinde and was given offside after having found the net.
The Barnet substitutions in the second half seemed to let Aldershot back into the game but for all their possession they only had a couple of half chances which they feebly failed to take. Even after Akinde had gone off, MacDonald, who had a fine game, came close to scoring just before he too was substituted in time added on. Even then, in the dying seconds, Curtis Weston broke through on the left but his cut back to Vilhete was delayed just a fraction too long and Aldershot were able to clear and that was that. With Bristol Rovers dropping two points at home to Torquay, Barnet moved 9 points clear again at the top of the Conference after very rewarding Christmas period. It was not a great performance from the Bees but it was enough against a very poor Aldershot side.
Barnet Mad Bees' Man of the Match: Charlie MacDonald
Barnet: Stack; Yiadom, Stephens, N'Gala, Johnson; Marsh-Brown (Hunt 64), Weston, Togwell, Vilhete; Akinde (Cook 74), MacDonald (Saville 94).
Subs not used: Luisma Villa, Mensah
Att: 2088