It’s derby delight for Kabamba
ANICKE Kabamba hattrick stole the show as Barnet clinched a comprehensive derby victory over a Boreham Wood side who played for almost a half with ten men.
Seeking a first win in five matches, the Bees soon had Wood on the defensive and in the 14th minute Kabamba kept a cool head as he advanced goalwards before slotting home past keeper Nathan Ashmore.
Kabamba then turned provider on 28 minutes when his cross shot was parried by Ashmore into the path of Harry Pritchard who slid the ball over the line.
Wood’s best hope of inflicting any damage was sole provided by Erico Sousa who looked dangerous down the left.
Two minutes before the interval a cracking drive into the top corner from Kabamba put the Bees into a very commanding position that the quality of their play warranted.
Despite their three goal deficit, Wood started the second half in determined mood but within five minutes of the restart skipper Jack Payne was shown a straight red card and matters slowly worsened.
Defender Reece Hall-Johnson made it 4-0 to the Bees in the 54th minute when he unwittingly turned a cross from the left goalwards with the game now almost exclusively being played in the Boreham Wood half.
Then, in the 69th minute, Kabamba completed his hat-trick when he converted a penalty that he had won for the Bees when he was tripped by Billy Sass-Davies.
Substitute Jordan Maguire-Drew, signed on Friday from Yeovil Town, impressed on his debut and scored Barnet’s sixth when he strode through the porous Boreham Wood defence.
Wood boss Luke Garrard was composed if bitterly disappointed when he said: “The manner in which we conceded in the first half was criminal.
“We are currently looking over our shoulder and we are playing in a relegation battle.
“There was a lot that went wrong today.
“The damage was done by half-time, we then went to a back four and our aim was to win the second-half.
“Once we went down to ten men it was about damage limitation.”
In stark contrast, Barnet boss Dean Brennan beamed: “That was an emphatic victory, but I think we have been playing at this level for a while, even in defeat.
“The big difference today being that that we were good in both boxes.
“We made a mistake early on, but Laurie Walker made a sound save, probably the only one he had to make.
“Today we had a lot of good phases.”
Top scorer Kabamba, who took his season tally to 20, said: “At the moment it’s second nature for me to finish if I get into these positions.
“Hopefully we can continue to attack relentlessly and be sound defensively.”