Barnet ended Hartlepool United's 23 game unbeaten run and did the double over the League 2 leaders at a sunny Underhill Stadium.

The away side were last beaten when the Bees faced them at their Victoria Park ground on November, 4 - a run that has seen them earn a remarkable 53 points in the process.

Barnet, who made the better start to the game, made two changes to the starting line-up from the one that defeated Darlington last weekend, with Jason Puncheon returning to the left of the midfield in place of Nicky Nicolau, whilst Paul Warhurst started at centre back in place of ankle injury victim Adam Gross with Simon King moving over to the left back position in the ex-Charlton man's absence.

The Bees nearly took the lead after just 49 seconds when Adam Birchall latched onto a quickly taken Nicky Bailey free kick, but from the angle the Bees frontman blasted the ball over the bar when he arguably should have done better.

And just three minutes later, better he did when Birchall was to give Barnet the lead.

It was a fine break forward by the Bees with Hatch dispossessing Pools captain Michael Nelson in the centre of the midfield. The Bees frontman progressed forward with the ball before releasing to his left to Puncheon, who took two touches before crossing deep to the far post where Hatch made the run. His header went looping towards goal where Birchall tapped home from two yards to put Paul Fairclough's side 1-0 in front.

Hartlepool responded well and just a minute after falling behind Eifion Williams saw his flicked header well held by Lee Harrison in the Bees goal.

Barnet were still playing the better football, though, and they nearly went 2-0 ahead with 10 minutes gone when Warhurst was denied his first goal in a Bees shirt when his header was kicked off of his own line by James Brown after Warhurst met Puncheon's in-swinging corner kick from the right.

Two minutes later and Richard Barker headed over for the away side before Liam Hatch did similarly for Barnet with 17 minutes on the clock when he rose unchallenged to meet a Joe Devera cross, but the Bees frontman could only direct his header wide of Dimitrios Konstantoploulos' left hand post.

Ismail Yakubu then did well to deny Barker a goalscoring chance three minutes later when he timed his challenge perfectly in the penalty area as the away side struggled to crack a stubborn Bees back four.

Hartlepool's frustration was beginning to mount and with 34 minutes on the clock the officials further incensed Danny Wilson's side when he denied them a penalty after Warhurst's challenge on Brown was deemed legal by referee Stroud.

Five minutes later and Harrison was quickly off of his line to deny Barker once more, whilst on the stroke of half time Bailey saw his volley from 25 yards well held by the Pools goalkeeper.

Barnet, who groin injury victim Warhurst replaced at the interval by Nicky Nicolau, began the second half  the better of the two sides and they nearly went 2-0 in front in the 48th minute when Puncheon's trickery on the left saw him pull the ball back to Bailey, but the midfielder drove wide from 15 yards out.

Harrison was then called into action three minutes later with arguably the save of the match when he dived at full stretch to his right to push away a fierce Andy Monkhouse header before Ritchie Humphries drove wide three minutes later.

Hatch and Gary Liddle then shot wildly for the Bees and the Pools respectively on the hour, before Sinclair did similarly eight minutes later.

Willie Boland then had an excellent opportunity to equalise for Hartlpool in the 74th minute, but he chose to lob Harrison, who caught the ball with ease, when perhaps a shot with more power was on the agenda.

Two minutes later and Barnet nearly made the Pools pay for that effort when Sinclair won the ball ahead of Nelson, before he squared the ball to Birchall, but, with just the keeper to beat, he saw his effort blocked by the legs of the Pools number one with Bailey crowded out before he could convert the loose ball.

Straight down the other end and Hartlepool were to level when Williams beat King to the ball and he ran through unopposed before seeing his shot from six yards take a slight deflection off of Yakubu before finding its way into the back of the net.

Barnet responded with great character and were to regain the lead just four minutes later courtesy of another wonder goal by Puncheon. The former MK Dons man cut in from the right before skipping past two players and sending his rasping 20 yards drive past the despairing dive of Konstantopoulos low into the bottom right hand corner,

Barker then headed just over for Hartlepool five minutes before full time and even Konstantopoulos, who came up for a later corner kick, could not find an equaliser for the away side as Barnet held on for the three points.

By Jonathan Sugar

Attendance: 2908
Away: 829