Peterborough United went top of the League Two table after this 2-0 victory at Underhill tonight, they looked a well drilled, expensively assembled outfit and now are set fair to challenge for the title.
The Bees could have taken the lead in the opening minutes when a cross from the left by Jason Puncheon was headed back across the goal by Albert Adomah for Cliff Akurang who headed over when well placed.
The Posh were always able to mount swift attacks as in Aaron McLean and Craig Mackail-Smith they had a pair of strikers who work tirelessly, have speed of thought and movement and were always alert for the half chance.
As the first half progressed the visitors slowly began to impose themselves on the game and it was Barnet who started to rely on breakaways to create opportunities.
In the 25th minute a blatant shirt pull on Akurang when inside the six yard box was amazingly ignored or went unnoticed by all the match officials. It looked a certain penalty.
Adomah continued where he left off in the victory over Shrewsbury Town a few days back and delivered some fine crosses into the Posh box. He is so very willing to take defenders on at speed.
In the 32 minute Peterborough took the lead when following a clumsy challenge by Akurang, momentarily in the left back position, Dean Keates whipped in a well executed free kick, which evaded both defenders and forwards alike and found its way into the back of the net.
Then only moments later Jason Puncheon was shown a red card for apparently discharging the ball in the general direction of the assistant referee and Barnet now found themselves in the unenviable, if not totally unaccustomed, position of playing a team flying high in the league, buoyed by the fact that they had taken a lead and with only ten men to call upon.
In the second period Barnet refused to accept that their cause was a lost one and in spells took the game to their opponents. The Posh, for the most part, were content to keep possession, soak up the pressure and mount counter attacks, but this looked a poor choice of tactic when Adomah rose highest and his header hit the bar with Joe Lewis having misjudged the flight of the ball as the Bees sought to equalise.
Mid way through the half Jamie Day hit the woodwork for the Posh from a free kick and in time added on he went one better when his left footed curler from outside the area hit the back of the Bees net.
Strangely for such an eventful game, full of attacking play, both goalkeepers were rarely called upon and Paul Fairclough was later to remark that he could hardly recall his keeper having to make a save, apart that is from two well struck free kicks which eventually decided the outcome of the points.
A disappointing result given the justified suspicion that a corner had been turned with the result and performance against Shrewsbury. As the Bees boss was to later remark he felt that his side, being reduced to ten men, were hardly able to contest the game on equal terms and he was to add that the players post match had committed themselves to not being sent off for acts of ill discipline for the remainder of the season and that a lot of work would be undertaken on the training ground to achieve this end.
Next up for the Bees, an away trip to the oldest club in the Football League, Notts County.
David Bloomfield
