Barnet suffered their third home league defeat of the season at the hands of Accrington Stanley at Underhill, despite enjoying a 1-0 advantage at half time and playing against ten men for over an hour.
Barnet reverted to a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation from the game at Crewe, with Jake Hyde being recalled to partner John O'Flynn upfront.
Accrington had a handful of chances to take the lead in the first half, but their strikers Billy Kee and Michael Symes were most wasteful when they found themselves in very good goalscoring positions. And should a Stanley strike on goal be on target Jake Cole was again in fine form.
Their appeared to be a questionable decision for offside when Micah Hyde turned the ball home from close range. Although a goal at this stage might have been against the run of play, this was one of a number of decisions by the match officials that would prove crucial.
On the half hour mark Albert Adomah was brought to the ground by the Stanley keeper, the consequence being a penalty and a red card. There was a delay whilst a new keeper was introduced, but this did not act to deter John O'Flynn who bravely chose to blast the ball straight down the middle.
In the second half, with Stanley maintaining two men upfront despite being a player light, the visitors continued to create opportunities and their passing of the ball was of a higher standard than the Bees.
Stanley were level in the 59th when from a corner their diminutive centre-back Phil Edwards powerfully met the ball with his head to give Cole in goal no chance.
In the 79th minute Clovis Kamdjo was adjudged to have fouled Stanley's Kee in the box and he became the second player to receive a red card from the referee. Edward's spot kick was very well saved by Cole who dived low to tip the ball away for a corner.
We were now playing 10 v 10 and when the Bees lost possession on the right wing five minutes later Stanley constructed a move which ended with Kee hitting the target which some aplomb, in contrast to his earlier misses, 2-1 to Stanley.
To some Kee had looked well offside, but crucially not to the match officials.
Late on Nicky Deverdics crossed from the right and Adomah when exceptionally well placed should have headed home, but his effort was wide of the post.
Here was a game that Barnet had all the opportunities to win. With a 1-0 lead and playing against ten men the Bees should had enough in their tanks to safely secure all three points.
Credit must go to Stanley for their united effort to bring themselves back in the game and then to forge ahead, when at half-time, the fates, and the scoreline, were most definitely not in their favour.
The Bees are at Darlington next Saturday.
David Bloomfield