Barnet 7 Farnborough Town 1 . . .

Where does one start?

It is difficult to sum up a game that had just about everything.

Farnborough took a shock lead, Giuliano Grazioli hit a first-half hat-trick, the visitors finished with eight men on the pitch and defender Jimmy Turner played the final half-an-hour in goal.

Manager Paul Fairclough said his team had made a decision to start enjoying football again and no one at Underhill this afternoon, unless you were a Farnborough fan, would have left without a smile on their face.

It turned into an exhibition match in the second half, with two Borough players seeing red and debutant goalkeeper Jake Cole being stretchered off. The Bees were lining up to score, including defender Simon Clist, who is yet to grab a goal.

But, make no mistake, this game was well over even before the visitors' second-half problems.

Fairclough said: "A great boxer will get someone on the ropes and then finish them off. We were aided by the sending offs but the players kept going and went for the jugular.

"I felt sorry for Farnborough. We just stepped up a gear after their goal. It was all down to determination, commitment, passion and desire to do something about it.

"We were just fantastic."

And he had special praise for Grazioli.

"It was just wonderful to watch a man who is so good at his work. He is an artist."

It was Grazioli who got Barnet back into the game after Farnborough's shock opener. The visitors started superbly and deserved their fifth-minute opener, Jay Smith curling a free-kick in off the post.

But ten minutes later, keeper Cole, unaware Grazioli was lurking behind him, rolled the ball on the ground in preparation to make his clearance. The cheeky striker nipped in and slotted it into an empty net.

From then on it was all downhill for Borough.

On 21 minutes, a fabulous ball from Ben Strevens bounced invitingly in the path of Grazioli and he lobbed the advancing Cole.

It was now all Barnet and a question of how many. Strevens made it three on 34 minutes, expertly placing the ball in the corner following a Richard Graham cross.

Grazioli completed his hat-trick a few minutes before the break, tucking home a Graham pull-back.

The second half turned into a farce. Terry Parker first saw red on the hour for a second bookable offence and then Cole was carried off and replaced by Turner in goal.

Having used three subs at the break, Borough were now down to nine men.

Turner pulled off some useful saves but subs Lee Roache combined for the latter to make it five on 76 minutes before Hatch set up Roache for a sixth with seven minutes to go.

Kevin Hemsley was then dismissed in injury time before Dean Sinclair shot into an empty net from 25 yards after a Turner clearance came to his feet.

It capped an unforgettable afternoon of football and one of the most remarkable games of the season.

BARNET (4-4-2): Tynan; Hendon, King, Charles, Clist; Strevens (Batt 74), Lee (Bailey 70), Sinclair, Graham; Grazioli (Roache 50), Hatch.

Attendance: 2,418.

Best Bee: Giuliano Grazioli.