Lee strike earns Barnet a point

1:20am Saturday 3rd September 2005

Cheltenham Town 1 Barnet 1 . . .

Dwane Lee hit a second-half cracker to earn Barnet a point at Whaddon Road this evening.

There looked little on when the midfielder picked the ball up in a central position some 30 yards out ten minutes into the second half.

But he wasted no time in setting himself up and unleashing a low drive into the corner.

The strike seemed to catch everyone by surprise and Cheltenham keeper Shane Higgs never got close to it.

The goal cancelled out a home strike just a minute before the break, John Finnigan sprinting in to head home a JJ Melligan cross.

The Robins deserved their half-time lead. Only some good saves from Ross Flitney had previously kept them at bay.

There were few clear-cut chances until the half-hour mark when Flitney did well to push over a Mike Townsend header, and then Michael Taylor clipped the bar after meeting the ball with his head from the resultant corner.

Flitney then stuck out a leg to deny Kayode Odejay when the striker was free on goal minutes later.

Barnet's best chance of the half came a minute before Finnigan's opener, a stretching Giualiano Grazioli just failing to lift the ball over Higgs from a defence-splitting Richard Graham pass.

The second half belonged to Barnet, but there were chances at both ends as the game opened up.

Within minutes of the restart, Grant McCann curled a free-kick inches wide for Cheltenham, while Graham hit a half-volley straight at the keeper.

Flitney then rescued Anthony Charles who gave the ball away to Odejay, the keeper, on his league debut, racing out to make another fine block.

Charles then sent a powerful header goalwards at the other end before Lee struck the equaliser.

Both sides could have won it in the remaining half-hour.

Grazioli just failed to get his head to a Louis Soares cross and then unselfishly set up Dean Sinclair but his shot was saved at the near post.

Cheltenham thought they had won it four minutes from time, but sub Damian Spencer saw his first-time volley crack the foot of the post.

The final chance fell to Sinclair a minute from time, but his swirling drive cleared the bar by a foot.

Both sides will feel they might have won it and the draw was just about the fairest outcome.

BARNET (4-5-1): Flitney; Hendon, King, Yakubu (Batt 18), Charles; Soares, Bailey, Lee, Sinclair, Graham; Grazioli. Subs not used: Tynan, Bowditch, Roache, Strevens.

Attendance: 3,343.

Best Bee: Ross Flitney.

* Ismail Yakubu hobbled off after just 18 minutes of his comeback game. Manager Paul Fairclough said afterwards that it was a thigh problem.

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