Barnet on a Bee-line back into league

It would be easy to label Exeter City's first league defeat in five games as an FA Cup hangover, the slump after the euphoria and an in evitable dip following their Manchester United exploits.
Yet such claims could not be further from the truth as City brushed aside their epic cup adventure and succeeded in rattling the section's runaway leaders.
As it was, Giuliano Grazioli continued his amazing goalscoring spree by notching up his 19th goal of the season to virtually wrap up the Conference title for Barnet.
If Chelsea are being proclaimed the Premiership champions by large sections of the media, then the Bees are a cast-iron guarantee to grab the one automatic promotion place into the Football League.
Let's face it, the chasing pack are now scrapping for four play-off places and, with five points separating nine teams, it promises to be a tight tussle at the top.
Other than the bottom five teams, every remaining club harbours realistic hopes of embarking on an explosive run that would catapult them into promotion contention.
It might sound like twisted logic bordering on blind optimism, but Exeter City actually did their play-off chances no real harm at the weekend.
The defeat was hardly a major surprise, given Barnet's total domination of the section and City's recent hectic schedule of games.
And while there is never a good time to visit a team blitzing all before them, it might turn out to have been the right time to get this fixture out of the way.
It would have been tough whoever City had faced this weekend, but to lose to Paul Fairclough's marauding side is a hardly a major source of embarrassment.
And while City failed to halt the Barnet bandwagon, so the majority of their chief play-off rivals passed up the opportunity to cement their top five positions.
Hereford lost to Dagenham & Red bridge and Stevenage got thumped at Canvey Island. Scarborough, Accrington and Morecambe also slipped to surprising defeats.
And given that Alex Inglethorpe rested some of his key players on Saturday, this reverse hardly represents a catastrophic blow.
To put the result into perspective, the Londoners have lost just twice at Underhill all season and have established a 17-point cushion at the top.
Though to suggest that the gulf between the two clubs is strikingly wide would be way off target.
As you would expect, the high-flying Bees served up a cocktail of slick passing, intricate movement and real potency up front.
And when they were put under the cosh their back line stood firm.
"They are certainly the most com plete side in the Conference," admitted Grecians chief Alex Inglethorpe.
"You can see why they are well clear at the top of the league. They play good football and are an excellent side."
The traffic was primarily streaming in the one direction for large parts of the first half, with Barnet's sprightly front two Peter Hatch and Grazioli threatening to make mincemeat of a stretched City rearguard.
Grazioli, the section's leading goalscorer by some distance, slivered his way through the heart of the visitors' defence before lifting his shot over the bar after just 40 seconds.
Yet had Kezie Ibe not squandered a golden opportunity after six minutes then the outcome might have been very different.
A deliciously-weighted through ball from Marcus Martin sent the on-loan striker racing clear of a static Barnet defence.
While his first touch was deft, his second saw the ball bobble heavily off his toe, allowing keeper Scott Tynan to mop up the danger by smothering at his feet.
It would prove costly as 10 minutes later Barnet bagged what proved to be the decisive goal.
When Hatch connected with Richard Graham's centre, Grazioli span away from his marker and stabbed the ball past Paul Jones from close range.
Dean Sinclair who proved a real menace during the match then forced Jones into the first of a steady stream of saves after looping the ball over Gary Sawyer's head and prodding a first-time effort towards goal.
For all of City's industry and commitment, Barnet were just about better in every department in the opening exchanges.
But the visitors did manufacture some potential openings, Jake Ed wards scuffing a weak shot straight at Tynan before the striker let fly from just outside the area only to see his effort cannon into the advertising hoardings.
Revitalised French defender Alex Jeannin spurned two opportunities to level matters, blazing wide after Ibe had cushioned a header into his path and then cracking a free-kick straight at Tynan.
At the other end, Barnet came close to stretching their lead. While Sawyer stalled on take-off, Hatch soared sky wards to dispatch a downward header to Nicky Bailey, whose rasping drive arrowed past Jones' right-hand post.
With the two sides now going at each other hammer and tongs and both defences creaking under the strain, it seemed only a matter of time before someone struck.
Tynan made a complete hash of an attempted clearance, wildly lashing straight to Danny Clay whose shot drifted wide.
City keeper Jones, who has been in the spotlight following his heroic exploits against Manchester United, produced another sizzling save as he flicked Grazioli's shot around the post.
Only 60 seconds of the second-half had elapsed when Barnet wasted an other glorious chance to enhance their lead.
Hatch caught the City defence napping, latching on to Bailey's cross and hooking narrowly wide.
Jones came to the rescue again after Sinclair found a gap in City's defence and thudded a header that was com fortably collected by the youngster.
Far from allowing depression to set in, the Grecians set about the business of trying to claw themselves back on terms.
If Barnet had edged the first-half on points, the contest was far closer after the interval, with both sides trading blows.
Moxey came close to converting a drilled Edwards cross, ghosting in at the back post only for Tynan to some how scoop his shot to safety.
And when Andy Taylor delivered a wicked free-kick, the subsequent clearance fell to Marcus Martin, who lost his composure and blazed high and wide.
Inglethorpe went for broke in the last 20 minutes, sending on Sean Devine, Steve Flack and Les Afful in a bid to rescue a point.
But even he must have wondered how Grazioli failed to double Barnet's lead by converting one of the simplest chances this season.
Indeed, given his sensational haul this term you would have put your mortgage on him snapping up the gilt-edged chance.
He was approximately four yards out, the ball delivered with satellite- guided accuracy by Hatch and City's keeper was more exposed than the Dartmoor branch of the British Naturist Society. But Grazioli seemed to react a split-second too late, the ball got slightly stuck under his favoured right-foot, bobbled against his legs and somehow veered wide.
But the crime of the century went unpunished as City pressed and probed for an equaliser that never came.
The towering presence of Flack might have thrown his side a dramatic lifeline in the dying seconds, but his header, from Taylor's pin-point centre, fizzed wide .
And Barnet were desperate to pile on the misery Hatch watching his late effort beaten away by Jones before firing the rebound over.
Their players celebrated as though they had sealed the championship.
For City, there is no need for alarm the play-off charge remains very definitely on course

What the managers had to say...

Paul Fairclough
It was a tough game against a very good side. Overall I felt we deserved to win the game on the chances we created. My job is to keep these players on track. They will come in on Monday and be told that it's not all over. This is a powerful league and I've got to be honest and can't understand why we are so far out in front. Once upon a time there was a great divide, but that isn't there now. You have to scrap for every point in this league. Exeter are the in-form team and they put up a good fight against us. I see Jose Mourinho has gone on record to say how many points he feels his side needs to win the title. I can't do that and we won't be celebrating until it is mathematically impossible for someone to catch us.

Alex Inglethorpe
I am disappointed to have lost the match but I felt we competed. No one could accuse this of being a case of after the Lord Mayor's show. The players were competitive, hungry and determined to win. Certainly in the second-half we made it difficult for them and, to say we have come away to the league leaders and dominated the second-half, isn't bad. Barnet are really far ahead now and it would either take a massive dip in form from them or a tremendous run by others to catch them. But I don't think they will be saying they have won the league. They are the most complete side in the league, but I thought we matched them and contributed to a good game.