BEES WALKING ON THE MOON
BARNET’S rich vein of form continues as they recorded their fifth consecutive victory over a lack-lustre Maidstone United.
A third-minute goal by the 20-year-old ex-Hendon striker Josh Walker separated the sides but from start to finish the Bees were the more dominant outfit.
Barnet opened the game in a very positive mood and with the visitors unable to clear their lines Walker was on hand to capitalise with his crisp low drive finding the corner of the net.
The Bees then set about extending their lead, but they were wasteful when opportunities presented themselves.
For much of the first-half Maidenhead were pushed onto the defensive, but in a rare foray forward Josh Kelly had a reasonable penalty appeal denied when he went to ground as he was about to have a strike on goal.
Barnet should have gone into the interval with a twogoal advantage when in the closing minutes of the half Jack Taylor was found by Bryon Harrison’s intelligent through ball but the midfielder poked his effort wide of the target.
The Magpies’ best hope was to get the ball out wide to Nana Owusu, who displayed a willingness to run at defenders and to get his cross in or a shot away; but even he fell away in the second-half.
The Bees were not as fluent in the second period as they were in the opening half, but they still had enough about them to comfortably keep the Magpies at bay.
Barnet’s lively substitute Ephron Mason-Clark’s forceful run into the box in the 83rd minute prompted a rash challenge from Alan Massey, but from the resulting spot-kick, Harrison was unable to sew the game up for the Bees when he skied his effort.
The visitors staged a late rally of sorts, but the Bees, with their centre-backs in gritty mood, did not relent.
The Maidstone boss Alan Devonshire cut a despondent figure after the match and said: “I was disappointed with the way we played today, certainly not as well as we have been. And we gave an early goal away after only three minutes.
“We didn’t deserve to get anything out of the game. We lacked quality, we didn’t pass the ball at all well, our crosses were going out of play or hit the first defender. We didn’t pass at all.”
By contrast the Barnet manager John Still could look back on a positive performance: “I was delighted with the result today, especially as we really are struggling the injuries and illness. We had two 16-year-olds on the bench, we have no-one else.
“We have instilled into the players the need to work their socks off, so I was delighted. There were lots and lots of little things that pleased me.
“Taking everything into account and the good run Maidstone were on, that’s as good a win we’ve had this season.”