Stockport County inflicted defeat on Barnet for only the second time in ten league matches as the hosts ran out 2-0 winners at Edgeley Park on Saturday.
Barnet made two changes to the starting line-up that drew 3-3 with MK Dons with Nicky Nicolau earning a recall at left back at the expense of Adam Gross whilst Paul Warhurst replaced broken hand victim Simon King at the centre of the Bees defence.
Both sides started the game brightly on a blustery afternoon in Greater Manchester but it was the home side that had the first effort on goal, although it did not arrive until the 13th minute when Tony Dinning saw his 20 yard free kick drift wide of Lee Harrison's right hand post.
Just a minute later and Tresor Kandol saw a header go wide, when under pressure from Gareth Owen before Tes Bramble hooked wide 10 minutes later as both sides struggled to retain possession of the ball after an initial bright start to proceedings.
With 31 minutes on the clock, though, and County were to take the lead when a long pass forward by Tony Dinning caught out a static Bees defence, and although Harrison did well to save Bramble's shot with his feet, the ball fell straight to David Poole who made no mistake from eight yards blasting the ball high into the roof of the net.
Four minutes later and Poole could have had his second of the game but from an acute angle, his shot went wide of a post before Bailey had a rare Bees effort at goal on the stroke of half time when his 25 yard free kick sailed harmlessly over John Ruddy's crossbar.
The Bees began the second half in a similar disappointing fashion that they finished the first and just five minutes in the home side were to take a 2-0 lead when Adam Le Fondre's spectacular over-head kick found the back of the net after Nicolau misdirected his header following a Ashley Williams free kick.
Adam Griffin then shot straight at Harrison from 25 yards two minutes later as Stockport looked to further extend their lead.
In the 56th minute Barnet had their best chance of the game, and a glorious opportunity to reduce their deficit, when fine play between Sinclair and Bailey, saw the latter cross into the box but Tresor Kandol saw his looping head hit the crossbar with keeper Ruddy able to collect the rebound.
The Bees were suffered a further blow in the 63rd minute when Harrison suffered a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Ross Flitney, whilst Hatch and Richard Graham were replaced for tactical reasons by Barry Cogan and Magno Vieira as Paul Fairclough looked to freshen things up in a lacklustre Bees attack.
Despite the changes, the Bees were still struggling to break down a well organised Stockport defence and it was the home side that were still looking the more threatening in the final third when Dinning saw his free kick well held by Flitney in the Barnet goal.
Nicolau and Warhurst saw efforts go wide for the Bees in the final minute of the contest before a Kandol header was easily held by Ruddy following a deep in-swinging free kick by Bailey.
Dickinson then saw an effort deflected onto a post as things could have got even worse for the Bees before the Referee signalled the end of the match soon afterwards as Stockport County beat Fairclough's Bees 2-0 to send the travelling Underhill contingent back down south in a less than satisfying mood.
Attendance: 4133
Away : 129
By Jonathan Sugar
