A late Adam Birchall strike gave the Bees a passport into the third round of The FA Cup and now Barnet face an away tie at Swindon early in the new year. This was a game in which although Barnet might have just had the edge, they had to ride their luck at times and the scoreline reflects the narrowness of the victory.

Upfront Bees boss Paul Fairclough recalled Birchall who replaced the suspended Liam Hatch, pairing him with Giuliano Grazioli.

The pitch was beginning to harden with frost as the game developed and whilst it was never a danger to the players the ball did occasionally bounce oddly on the uneven surface.

In the second minute Birchall tried an overhead kick which almost caught the Burton keeper Kevin Poole unawares, and it signalled Birchall's clear intention of increasing his ratio of shots per game.

Just past the half hour mark Burton's Aaron Webster combined well with Keith Gilroy for the speedy winger to have a strike on goal, but clear cut chances were few in the first half although Birchall did hit the side netting when well positioned just before the break.

Fifteen minutes in the second period Barnet had a moment of good fortune when hesitation in the six yard box saw the ball hit the crossbar before it was cleared to safety. Burton themselves later had the ball in the Bees net, only for Shaun Harrad's effort to be deemed offside.

Burton had periods in which they dominated possession but Barnet's attacks were constructed with a fraction more guile and by a thin margin they looked the more likely to score. One such move was when Grazioli cleverly hooked the ball into the path of Birchall but his effort was tipped over the bar by Poole for a corner.

And so it came to pass when a poorly hit in swinging corner from the Barnet right by Jason Puncheon looked as if it would hit the first defender and be cleared without too much difficulty. However was poorly dealt with at the near post and in the ensuing panic Birchall kept his cool as he reacted first to hit a firm low shot into the net.

Birchall was palpably relieved at putting his barren spell behind him and in the remaining seven minutes of normal time, plus the three added on, Barnet were not seriously troubled again.

Anthony Thomas, Max Porter and Nicky Nicolau were all called upon as second half substitutes and each in their own way, in their own position, made a valuable contribution to this victory.

A win that is sure to boost confidence after a lean period in the league as the Bees face two away day Saturdays with fixtures against Lincoln and Rochdale before the rush of the Christmas and New Year schedule.

David Bloomfield.