CLASSIC ENCOUNTER: Rotherham 3 Barnet 4

Last updated : 07 January 2013 By Jaybee

In October 2008, Barnet and Rotherham met in a League Two fixture at the Don Valley Stadium with Barnet winning 4-3. The Bees almost went ahead early on when Cliff Akurang headed over from Nicky Deverdics' corner, but Rotherham grabbed an early lead when Nick Fenton headed a looping header in following a corner. Lee Harrison had to make a couple of fine saves to keep Barnet in the game, but on 18 minutes, Barnet Albert Adomah crossed for Luke Medley to head home to bring the Bees level.

 

 

However, disaster struck on the half hour, when Rotherham were awarded a penalty when Max Porter brought down Alex Rhodes in the penalty area as the Rotherham player looked set to score. Porter was given a red card and Barnet were now down to 10 men. However, from the resulting penalty Lee Harrison dived to his right to splendidly save the penalty.

 

 

Things got even better when ten men Barnet went 2-1 up after 35 minutes, Albert Adomah hit a scorching shot from just outside the right hand side of the penalty area into the far corner of the net.

 

 

HT Rotherham 1-2 Barnet

 

 

Rotherham came close at the start of the second half when an awkward cross caused problems in the Barnet penalty area but Harrison managed to drop down onto the ball and hold on to it.

 

 

After 57 minutes, Barnet went 3-1 up when Cliff Akurang set off on a mazy run which took him through a crowd of home defenders before sliding the ball home. Barnet went, amazingly, 4-1 up when a long clearance by Harrison was missed by the last Rotherham defender and fell to Akurang who took it past the goalkeeper and slotted it home from an awkward angle.

 

 

Albert Adomah could have made it 5-1 shortly afterwards when he was through on goal but shot wildly over the bar. He then went clear on the right and his cross was almost put through his own goal by a home defender.

 

 

Rotherham then pulled one back when Ian Sharps headed a free kick past Harrison and then Rotherham were awarded a disputed penalty after Michael Leary was adjudged to have fouled Rueben Reid who looked to have just tripped over his own feet. Mark Burchill scored from the spot to make the score 4-3 to the Bees.

 

 

Barnet managed to hang on to the three points despite a frenzied onslaught on the Barnet defence, though they had Lee Harrison and the crossbar to thank for the win in the end.

 

 

The Barnet side was: Harrison; Porter, Devera, Yakubu, Gillet; Adomah, Leary, Bishop, Deverdics; Medley, Akurang.