MAGPIES IN A REF RANT AS NICKE KNOCKS EM’
A CONTROVERSIAL late penalty decision helped Barnet recover from twogoals down to rescue a point at York Road.
Second-placed Bees looked to be headed for an eighth league defeat, but referee Aaron Jackson spotted a handball in the box as Nicke Kabamba tried to head the ball home in the 91st minute.
And to the general bafflement of most inside the ground, he pointed to the spot, giving Kabamba the chance to rifle home his 50th goal for the club.
“Livid is what we are,” raged Magpies assistant boss Ryan Peters.
“That second goal should never have happened. It was never a penalty!
“We were dead on our feet and Barnet pushed us all the way. I thought we did well. We were 2-0 up and were cruising.
“But it’s another point to build on.”
The Magpies held a two-goal lead thanks to Jayden Mitchell-Lawson’s composed finish in the ninth minute and substitute Reece Smith’s back-post tap in on 57 minutes.
But, revived by second half-substitutes Idris Kanu and former Magpies’ favourite Harry Pritchard, Dean Brennan’s men upped the ante and got back in the contest when Dale Gordon’s corner was flicked on by Adam Thomson and Callum Stead side-footed home.
They then laid siege to the Magpies penalty area but just when it looked like the hosts would hold out, the referee made his all-important intervention.
The Magpies seized control early when Josh Keeley got a rush of blood to the head and came storming out of the area, presenting the ball to Tristan Abrahams. His shot was blocked but Mitchell-Lawson picked up the loose ball and stroked it into the empty net.
It really should have been two when Shawn McCoulsky was ruled offside as he tapped home Ashley Nathaniel-George’s goal bound strike in the 33rd minute. Had the striker left the ball alone, it would surely have nestled into the back of the net after great work from Nathaniel-George to beat his man and fire past Keeley.
McCoulsky made amends on 57 minutes when he collected Abraham’s clever lay-off and beat a couple of Bees players before putting the ball on a plate for Smith to tap home Maidenhead’s second.
After Stead had made it 2-1 on 71 minutes, Mitchell-Lawson should have finished off the Bees challenge when he fired straight at Keeley in the 84th minute. It proved a costly miss and Kabamba made the Magpies pay.
Brennan added: “We’ve got to earn the right to win, and I just didn’t think we earned the right today. It takes a lot of bravery to step up in the 93rd minute of the game to take a penalty but he (Kabamba) showed real courage there.
“He’s a good kid and he wants to learn. Fifty goals is an amazing achievement in two years. It’s fantastic.” STAR MAN: Jayden Mitchell-Lawson (Maidenhead) ATT: 1,615 ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★ REFEREE: Aaron Jackson