In the first game of 2010 a goal in time added on denied Barnet even a point that the number of chances that they had created surely warranted.

Acknowledgement needs be paid to the volunteers who had cleared the pitch of snow and made the surface playable.

Ian Hendon selected Jake Hyde and John O'Flynn as a pair upfront with Joe Devera partnering Yakubu at the heart of the defence.

Barnet after going behind to a Cian Hughton effort on 30 minutes levelled the scores with a Ismail Yakubu header with some 15 minutes remaining.

Credit for their victory must go to the Lincoln keeper Rob Burch who pulled a number of excellent saves and to the Imp's rearguard who were prepared to block and parry strikes made on their goal.

Barnet enjoyed much of the play in the first period but with 30 minutes on the clock and Kenny Gillet receiving treatment on the sidelines Lincoln took advantage and Hughton finished well after advancing down the Lincoln right flank.

This was a goal very much against the run of play.

Barnet did get the ball into the box on a regular basis, with Albert Jarrett frequently the provider, and created numerous chances in the process. There were several scrambles in the box, but crucially the ball rarely fell kindly to a Barnet player to have a clean strike on target.

When it did Burch was equal to the task, with the ex-Bee much the busier of the two keepers.

In the second period Jake Hyde continued to pepper the Lincoln goal with attempts on goal, but without quite the force to hit the back of the net.

An Albert Adomah cross was met by Micah Hyde who had advanced into the box, but his headed effort sailed just over the crossbar.

New signing Lee Sawyer was introduced midway through the half for Mark Hughes and he showed some inventive play in midfield as he tried to link the elements of the team together.

Hughton, on a breakaway that looked distinctly offside, shot from the edge of the box which Jake Cole did well to keep out.

Moments later the Bees were level when an excellent delivery, this time from the right, by Jarrett saw Yakubu's glancing header find the back of the net.

The Bees then set about going for a win, with a Devera header from close range being a good opportunity to forge ahead.

In time added on Barnet were to rue these missed chances when Joe Anderson seemed to have far too much space and time to cross from the left, his centre finding the head of Lennell John-Lewis whose bullet header gave Cole no chance.

This result was a cruel one to take after Barnet had striven manfully to carve out chances aplenty.

But the team that takes the points, in the final analysis and since the game was invented, is always the one that scores more goals than they concede and on that count Barnet were lacking today.

Some compensation is surely to be had in that Barnet certainly did not play badly today over the 90 minutes, but it seems that any errors, small or otherwise are being punished, whilst despite chances being created, goals remain very much at a premium.

David Bloomfield.