ROBINS ARE BOBBING AS BEES SUFFER LATE MISERY

ALTRINCHAM clinched all three points in dramatic fashion in stoppage time when Josh Hancock steered the ball home from close range – but it was no more than the Robins deserved for an impressive second half display that persistently put Barnet on the defensive.

Hancock piled on the misery for new Barnet boss Tim Flowers with his lastgasp strike after Robins winger Matty Kosylo had earlier cancelled out JJ Hooper’s opener for the Bees.

It leaves Flowers’ new side rooted second bottom of the table, eight points off safety.

“I am absolutely gutted not to get a point,” Flowers groaned.

“It’s an absolute choker! I thought we were okay to start with and we’d planned to be a threat on the counter attack.

“We had one or two flashes, but a few of our players were blowing, if I’m honest towards the end. We need to learn how to see games out and that point lost could be a big, big, point for us and we just we allowed it to slip from our grasp.”

Barnet took the lead somewhat against the run of play on 14 minutes when they capitalised on an error by Joel Senior which allowed Hooper to pick his spot and calmly fire past Tony Thompson in the Robins’s goal.

But, with ten minutes of the first half remaining, the visitors levelled when the impressive Kosylo steadied himself before slotting home from the edge of the box – his first goal of the season since joining from AFC Fylde.

Within a minute of the second half Bryon Harrison was guilty of missing a gilt-edged opportunity and until the dying moments it looked as if the Robins would have to settle for a draw until, following another flowing move, Hancock popped up inside the box to secure their fifth league away win of the season.

Barnet’s best opportunities in the second half came via substitute Michael Petrasso, whose deliveries from the right flank only needed a final touch from a Barnet forward.

Barnet had three players making their debuts and looked a more resolute outfit as a result, but they were someway short of matching the cohesion of the visitors.

A justifiably delighted Altrincham boss Phil Parkinson said: “I thought we put in an outstanding performance, and not just because of the win. I thought we dominated procession from the start to the end.

“We were patient in our build up. It was always going to be a game of very few chances because Barnet had so many behind the ball.

“These players have got the desire and the understanding of how win a game and play through a team.

“The quality on display was brilliant, the performance was top drawer.”