Pirates withstand late Barnet fightback

9:19pm Saturday 26th November 2005

Bristol Rovers 2 Barnet 1 . . .

Strikers Giuliano Grazioli and Liam Hatch both hit the woodwork as Barnet failed to save themselves in a frantic final few minutes.

The Bees threw everyone forward in an effort to grab the equaliser at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon, but the luck was against them.

Overall, this was a poor Barnet performance, but they did enough in the final minutes of the match to deserve a point against a shaky Rovers side.

The Pirates got off to a storming start when Richard Walker got the better of a hesitating Ismail Yakubu and slotted past Ross Flitney. Just four minutes had gone.

It was two after 20 minutes when Stuart Campbell slid in Walker and the striker found the corner as Flitney came out to narrow the angle.

Barnet were struggling to pick up the home side's runners and created few chances themselves at the other end.

Junior Agogo headed straight at Flitney at the start of the second half and there appeared to be little sign of a comeback.

But the Bees struck out of the blue on 68 minutes, Ben Strevens heading home a Louie Soares corner.

It set up a sensational finish that this poor encounter did not really deserve.

Agogo headed just wide after a Simon King and Anthony Charles mix-up a minute after Strevens' goal, but, after that, it was all one-way traffic.

Rovers began to look edgy at the back and the Bees seemed to sense it.

But it took them until the last five minutes to really test the hosts' nerves.

Grazioli was first to strike the upright, his hooked volley from a Hatch header came back into play and, as Rovers struggled to clear, Grazioli then saw a goalbound effort come off a defender.

Within a minute, Ian Hendon had floated over a free-kick and Hatch had headed against the same post.

There was still time for another chance to fall to Hatch in injury time, but he screwed his shot horribly wide at the far post.

BARNET (4-4-2): Flitney; Hendon, Yakubu, King, Charles; Soares (Norville 78), Bailey, Sinclair, Strevens; Grazioli, Hatch. Subs not used: Tynan, Batt, Lee, Vernazza.

Attendance: 5,096.

Best Bee: Ian Hendon.

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