Despite having keeper Andy Woodman stretchered off early on, the Diamond's looked the livelier side in the first 45 minutes. Chris O'Grady was particularly dangerous, his direct style of play was causing the Barnett back line no end of problems and it was O'Grady who had a hand in both of Rushden's best attacks in the first half. He fired just wide on 22 minutes after a good run, and then nine minutes later another positive surge forward resulted in a cut back that drew Broughton who again failed to hit the target.
A minute before the interval Diamond's substitute keeper Jamie Young, who had been largely redundant up until that point, decided to roll the ball outside his area before checking who was stood behind him. Dwane Lee didn't need a second opportunity to gratefully accept Young's unexpected early Christmas present. He took the ball around the unfortunate shot stopper before rolling into an unguarded net.
Rushden clawed back a deserved equaliser just past the hour mark. The dangerous O'Grady was again in the thick of the action. His surging run and shot was brilliantly pushed behind by Ross Flitney, from the resulting corner John Dempster was the first to react to a goal mouth scramble, stabbing the ball into the Barnet net and giving Flitney no chance.
The equaliser seemed to stir Barnet into action. The host then took the lead again on 74 minutes, a superb right wing cross from Ian Hendon was met by the head of Ben Strevens, who looped the ball over Young and into the top corner.
To add insult to injury to the visitors, Broughton was sent off six minutes from time after appearing to aim an elbow at Anthony Charles, it was not to be their day.