Barnet 2 Arsenal 2

Barnet 2 Arsenal 2

Barnet drew their traditional curtain raiser against Arsenal today at Underhill. Barnet began the match with trialists, Will Viner and Albert Jarrett both playing and both gave good accounts of themselves. Barnet were without goalkeeper, Jake Cole plus Albert Adomah and John O'Flynn and new signing from Swindon, Jake Hyde.

Barnet started well and Ismail Yakubu headed just over from a well flighted free kick taken by Danny Hart. Will Viner, deputizing for Cole, had to be alert to keep out Arsenal as the Premiership side put pressure on the Bees' defence. The former Gillingham winger, Jarrett got some good crosses in while Paul Furlong and Yannick Bolasie, playing up front for the Bees, caused the Arsenal defence a difficult time. In midfield, Micah Hyde gave a performance that showed much promise for the forthcoming season.

However, Arsenal went ahead in the 43^rd minute when Andrey Arshavin scored from close in. Barnet went at their visitors straight off and a fine Jarrett cross caused the Gunners' defence trouble before bang on half time, Barnet equalized. In what was virtually a copy of his earlier free kick, Danny Hart flighted a delightful free kick into the area for Ismail Yakubu to head into the top corner to level the scores.

HT: Bees 1 Gunners 1

Arsenal made a number of changes at half time with a lot of their younger players coming on and they soon proved to be a handful for the Barnet defence and Arsenal took a probably deserved lead in the 50th minute when Nacar Barazite curled a superb shot into the corner past Viner's despairing fingertips.

Barnet manager, Ian Hendon then made a number of changes with three more trialists coming on; Clovis Kamdjo, Ahmed Dean and Daniel Leach. Kamdjo is a former Reading youth team captain, Dean was with Macclesfield last season and Leach is a young Australian defender. All played quite well in a revamped defence. Meanwhile, strikers Cliff Akurang and Elliott Charles both caused the young Gunners defence trouble and Barnet got their reward when following some sloppy defending, Elliott Charles finished well to grab an equalizer for Barnet.

Barnet could be well satisfied by their performance, particularly in the absence of Cole, Adomah and O'Flynn with promising performances from all the trialists, but in particular, Viner and Jarrett who must have done their chances of earning a contract at Underhill no harm at all.

FT: Bees 2 Gunners 2

Barnet: Viner; Devera, Yakubu, Breen, Gillet; Hart, Hughes, Hyde, Jarrett; Furlong, Bolasie. Subs: Deverdics, Tabiri, Leach, Kamdjo, Dean, Charles, Medley, Akurang.