King grabs late winner to sink Shots

7:24pm Saturday 27th November 2004

Aldershot Town 2 Barnet 3 . . .

Defender Simon King hit his second goal in two games to send Barnet seven points clear at the top of the Conference.

King hit a sweet volley from the edge of the box six minutes from time to finally put an end to the spirited Shots, who had twice come from behind to frustrate the Bees.

Manager Paul Fairclough admitted Aldershot were the better team before the break.

"They really came at us and had the better of the first half. It was the first time for a long time that we have been dominated by a side."

But he said his team were outstanding' in the second period and chose words such as grit', determination' and doggedness' to describe his battling troops.

This was a feisty encounter that had everything. Both sides were really up for it and the Shots will consider themselves unlucky they did not earn at least a point.

They fought back well after Barnet had stunned them with a goal on seven minutes. A Simon Clist corner was nodded back across goal by Liam Hatch and Giuliano Grazioli steered in his 13th of the season from close range.

But Aldershot began to take control and fully deserved their 35th-minute equaliser. Darren Barnard delivered a ball towards the near post and Jonny Dixon nipped in to clip the ball home on the volley.

The Bees looked relieved to hear the half-time whistle, but the hosts looked just as dangerous after the break, Scott Tynan forced to block efforts from Tim Sills and Jon Challinor.

But it was Barnet who struck on 68 minutes. Clist freed Richard Graham down the left. He cut inside and, just when he looked to be searching for someone to pull the ball back to, drove a low shot into the far corner with his right foot.

But Aldershot were still not beaten and Dixon then found the roof of the net with a fine strike from the edge of the box after Barnet had failed to clear a 77th-minute free-kick.

It was now end-to-end stuff. Both Ben Strevens and Grazioli failed to reach a Hatch cross when only a touch was required on 82 minutes.

But two minutes later King popped up on the edge of the area to hit a superb left-foot volley through a crowd of players when Aldershot could only half clear their lines.

This time the home side were unable to come back again and the Bees held on to record another memorable victory.

BARNET (4-4-2): Tynan; Hendon, King, Yakubu, Clist; Strevens, Sinclair (Lopez 90), Lee, Graham; Grazioli, Hatch. Subs not used: Millard, Maddix, McBean, Batt.

Attendance: 3,494.

Best Bee: Simon Clist.

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