Barnet started the new season with a 4-1-1-1 formation with Daniel Leach playing alongside new skipper Anwar Uddin at the back. All three injury doubts made the squad with Joe Devera playing at right back and Ricky Holmes on the bench. Barnet had eight players making their league debuts for the Bees.
Barnet started brightly with Mark Byrne having a shot saved by Lee, the Spireites’ keeper and Daniel Leach had a header that cleared the bar. However, on 24 minutes, Jordan Parkes failed to clear a cross from Talbot and Dwayne Mattis put Chesterfield 1-0 up with a shot from close in that went into the bottom corner of the net.
Soon after, Steve Kabba forced a save from lee, but Barnet failed to get back on level terms and the home side went in a goal up.
HT: Spireites 1 Bees 0
The second half continued with Barnet again having as much possession as the home side. Eight minutes into the half, Barnet brought on a second striker in the shape of Ricky Holmes with Rossi Jarvis coming off. A header from Leach went wide, but just before the hour, Jack Lester scored to put Chesterfield 2-0 up and give Barnet probably too much to do. Soon after, Barnet brought on Darren Dennehy for Parkes.
On 70 minutes, Kabba laid the ball off to Glenn POOLE and the former Brentford midfield player hammered a cracking shot from outside the penalty area into the top right hand corner of the goal to put Barnet back in the game.
However, Barnet’s luck turned 10 minutes later when Chesterfield’s Davies committed a bad foul on Steve Kabba which resulted in the Bees’ striker being carried off. Davies was sent off and Danny Kelly came on as a substitute for the Bees. From the resulting fre kick, the ball found Mark Byrne who fired the ball into the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Seven minutes of added time was added on with Byrne hitting a shot over shortly before the end, Chesterfield hanging on to claim all three points.
So an opening day defeat for the Bees, but a 2-1 defeat at Chesterfield is no disgrace. Barnet have still yet to win on the opening day of the season since winning promotion from the Conference in 2005. The main concern must be the injury to Kabba. If he is out for any length of time, then Mark Stimson may have to become active in the transfer market once more this summer at least.
Spireites 2 Bees 1
Att: 6431
Barnet: Cole; Devera, Uddin, Leach, Parkes (Dennehy 62); Jarvis (Holmes 53), Southam, Byrne, Poole, Marshall; Kabba (Kelly 82). Subs: Carpenter, Dennehy, Kamdjo, Hughes, Cox, Holmes, Kelly.
Chesterfield: Lee, Ford, Breckin, Hunt, Allot, Whitaker, Mattis, Morris (Griffiths 66), DAVIES, Lester (Bowery 82), Talbot, Subs: Redmond, Page, Griffiths, Niven, Gray, Boden, Bowery.
Sent off: Davies