MAC ATTACK IS STRAIGHT INTO ACTION WITH BEES
ON-LOAN striker from Solihull Moors Paul McCallum make an instant impact as a second half substitute for Barnet, scoring once and providing an assist for Simeon Akinola’s winning goal with their Bees extending their unbeaten run to eleven matches.
With just a quarter of an hour remaining, tenman Hartlepool looked well set for an away point against their fellow play off hopefuls when Dan Sweeney headed spectacularly into his own net to level McCallum’s strike.
But the Bees would not be denied, with McCallum astutely setting up Akinola to poach the winner just minutes later.
Hartlepool’s Ryan Donaldson had received his marching orders early in the second half when he picked up his second yellow card with the onus now on the home side to take advantage.
Initially both sets of players struggled with conditions but the quality of play fractionally picked up in the second period, even though the ball still spent a considerable time in the air with both sides content to seek territorial advantage by pumping the ball forward.
The Barnet manager Darren Currie was pragmatic post-match when he said: “We are at the business end of the season where the three points are the most important thing, we will play better, but today we have had to scrap it out and these types of victories are just as important as the ones when we play some really nice football.
“Our work ethic and their togetherness were brilliant today, and I think we looked the more likely to score goals, even if the play between the boxes was quite even.”
Hartlepool manager Dave Challinor countered: “I am really disappointed because we deserved something from a game that we have contributed an awful lot to.
It was not the type of game you want to be involved in, with a horrible pitch and horrible conditions but if you want to be successful you need to take something from games like these.
“Over the course of a season you can’t win matches with tenmen, but we got ourselves back in the game and we were naive in the second phase of a free-kick which is obviously disappointing. McCallum provided the Barnet attack with a focal point with Currie adding: “It’s nice that he scored, it’s what he does, and I also liked his assist, he showed wonderful technique, right into Simeon’s path, that was a great ball in.
“He is just a big beast, he is physical, good in the air and defenders do not like playing against him.
“And that’s all on the back of coming down yesterday afternoon, not training with the lads and meeting them for the first time in the changing room today.”