Darlington were in the end well beaten at Barnet but the scoreline was somewhat flattering for the hosts. Three second half goals steered the Bees to victory at Underhill. Had Quakers taken some of the chances which came their way and had a little more luck this result could have been different. Barnet were finding it tough going at times against a Darlington side who worked hard all afternoon. However a double substitution by the home side on the hour mark changed the game.
Darlington named their two new loan signings in the starting eleven. Forward James Collins and midfielder David Davis came straight into the side following their midweek moves from Premiership sides Aston Villa and Wolves respectively. Meanwhile the absence of Russell Hoult who went back to Notts County following the end of his temporary spell in the North East saw Nick Liversedge preferred in goal for the visitors. Meanwhile Simon Thomas, who scored Darlington's winner against Shrewsbury last weekend, continued up front.
Barnet started brightly and won a corner after ninety seconds which John O'Flynn sent wide. Quakers quickly won their own corner at the other end but a promising build up was ended as Collins was flagged offside. A few minutes later and O'Flynn saw another low shot fly wide of the upright. Paul Furlong did well to bring a high ball down under pressure and play in the Irishman but his shot was off target.
Close to the ten minute mark Yannick Bolasie's run saw a shot blocked for another Barnet corner. Quakers were straight up the other end as Thomas crashed a shot wide from distance. On fifteen minutes Darlington skipper Steve Foster was left in pain on the floor. Furlong was booked for the challenge and from the resulting free-kick Quakers missed a brilliant chance. Barnet attempted to push up field but their offside trap was broken and it saw Davis alone in the Bees box. He had little time to control so tried to lob the ball over Jake Cole but his effort was too high and it went over the bar.
On twenty-six minutes a corner kick saw Micah Hyde send a low shot narrowly wide of the left hand post as both sides continued to probe for an opener. The ball could have deflected off any one of a number of Darlington players as it went behind for another flag kick. Shortly afterwards Darlington were forced into a change as Ian Miller was replaced by Matty Plummer due to an injury.
As the first period wore on the home side started to see more of the ball but Quakers would have been happy enough with their first half efforts. Furlong was next to have a go as he headed Albert Adomah's right wing cross wide on thirty-six minutes. Darlington responded with a shot from Thomas which went wide after a low pass deflected off the legs of a Barnet defender to give the big forward a half chance. Darlington quickly added two corner kicks to their tally as the end of the half approached. The second of which saw the ball played out to Paul Arnison. His cross was headed out but only as far as Corey Barnes. The youngster was leaning back though and his shot was always going off target.
Right at the end of the first period, with the home supporters starting to show a little frustration, Barnes had another chance. He exchanged passes with Collins but Barnes' shot was saved and Thomas was unable to turn the lose ball home. Barnet fans' frustrations continued after the break and ten minutes into the second half a challenge on Jamie Chandler by Micah Hyde threatened to boil over. The Bees skippered was booked but it was clear Barnet were finding it tough going.
On the hour a free-kick out on the left flank for Barnet handed them a chance to whip a decent ball into the box. Adomah's cross though was over hit and it went out for a goalkick. It prompted manager Ian Hendon to make a double change and moments later frustrations became joy for the home side. A Bolasie corner was cleared back to him, he crossed over to the far post and Ismail Yakubu headed home to give the hosts the lead. It was a blow to Darlington who had done okay to that point. It proved to be the pivotal moment in the game.
Quakers responded by winning a corner but on seventy minutes Adomah struck the woodwork with Liversedge beaten. Darlington went straight up the other end and forced a point blank save from Cole as the visitors failed to make the most of another good opportunity. Staunton threw on youngster Curtis Main with a little over fifteen minutes left in place of Smith as Darlington sought a way back into the game.
The match however got further out of reach for Darlington. With ten minutes left to play Barnet broke on Darlington for substitute Nicky Deverdics to calmly finish. The gap widened two minutes later as the scoreline became 3-0. Jake Hyde, another Barnet sub, pulled the ball back for Bolasie to sweep home. Collins saw a shot fly wide at the other but the scoreline was somewhat harsh on Darlington. Quakers had shown far more than they had done on previous away trips. Barnet's second half substitution though ultimately changed the game for the London club who are flattered by this scoreline.
