A wonderful early Mark Byrne goal was enough to give Barnet all three points against Macclesfield Town at Underhill on Saturday.
The Bees were desperate to end a three game losing steak and Mark Stimson opted for Mauro Vilhete to start as the lone striker with Mark Byrne playing just behind. The first few minutes of the game was played at a slow pace, but after 9 minutes, the first real shot of the match found its way into Macclesfield's net. A strong, powerful header by George Francombe from a Jake Cole goal-kick, found Irishman Byrne, who expertly flicked the ball over the head of a Macclesfield defender before smashing the ball into the roof of the net past goalkeeper José Veiga, from just inside the penalty area.
Ten minutes after that, Byrne, who is on loan from Nottingham Forest, had the opportunity to double the advantage for the Bees, but this time Veiga could make a comfortable save low down to his right.
The second half was at best marginally more entertaining than the first half, and The Silkmen almost grabbed an equalizer, but Jordan Parkes was called upon to block the ball off the line after a powerful Nat Brown header looked like it was creeping into the top corner.
This was just the beginning of some late Macclesfield pressure, and French born Algerian midfielder Hamza Bencherif forced a good save from Jake Cole. Throughout the afternoon, Carl Tremarco's long throws were constantly being launched into Barnet's penalty area, and when a Nat Brown half volley fell just wide of Cole's goal, you could tell it was never going to be the away sides' day.
Macclesfield had one last chance to take a point back to Cheshire, but when aptly named Tyrone Barnett went through on goal, Jake Cole was up to the task of smothering the ball from the feet of the former West Bromwich Albion trainee.
Mark Stimson, whose side next face a tough trip to Shrewsbury on Saturday, will be mightily pleased at the clean sheet, and especially the three points, as Barnet now climb out of the relegation zone ahead of Northampton Town and Hereford United, who remain bottom of the Football League.
Man of the Match: Joe Devera