Tamworth 2 Barnet 0

Last updated : 11 October 2003 By Footymad Previewer

For the second week running, Mark Cooper fired home two tremendous free-kicks to give Tamworth only their second home victory of the season.

Last Saturday, Cooper salvaged a point for the Lambs at Farnborough with his cannon of a right foot and he repeated the feat to inflict only Barnet's second defeat on the road this season.

His first came after just four minutes when Chris Plummer was penalised for a foul on Tamworth's new French centre-forward Armand One 25 yards out.

Cooper's grasscutter went around the wall and crept inside the post with David Forde rooted to his line.

Cooper then sealed the match in the 64th minute with another thunderous free-kick from just outside the area that beat Forde for shear power.

Cooper's deadball expertise was the only real difference between the two sides, although the Lambs also had goalkeeper Phil Whitehead to thank for two stunning saves.

Barnet marksman Giuliano Grazioli was denied from point-blank range after 32 minutes when Whitehead some how got a hand to his header to flick the ball to safety and just after half time, Whitehead dived low to his right to pull off another finger tip save to deny Mark Williams.

Thirteen-goal Grazioli has had better days at the office than this. His luck was out on nine minutes when he pounced on a Peter Beadle flick and lobbed Whitehead, but the linesman's flag cut short his celebrations.

Tamworth also created some good chances to add to Cooper's strikes. Scott Rickards put One clean through on goal on 68 minutes, but Forde did well to save with his feet.

At the death, substitutes Andy Watson and Brett Darby also had great chances, but Forde denied Darby and then Watson's effort rolled agonisingly beyond the far post.

The game was certainly competitive and both sides were lucky to finish the game with 11 men.

Guy Lopez was lucky to escape after an elbow on Cooper when already on a booking and Tris Whitman appeared to throw a punch at Danny Maddix in the fracas that led to Cooper's second goal.

Maddix was no angel himself and appeared to raise his arm in an aerial challenge on Richard Follett and Simon King was lucky that the officials didn't spot his stamp on a grounded Whitman as Barnet battled to get back into the game.