Forest Green 2 Barnet 2

Barnet produced a brilliant attacking display and should have been easy winners over Forest Green Rovers at The Lawns on Saturday.

The Bees got off to a storming start and should have wrapped up the game in the first 20 minutes when they had a handful of good goal-scoring opportunities.

But after going ahead twice in the second half, they were almost left empty-handed when Forest's Mark Shaw rattled the bar in the dying seconds.

Forest were under siege from the start and Wayne Purser's cross-shot hit the post. Leon Bell headed narrowly over when he should have scored and Ben Strevens had a powerful header well saved by Steve Perrin.

The keeper also produced a tremendous save from Mark Arber's forceful downward header.

Strevens was also denied by a magnificent point-blank save by Perrin. Strevens finally gave the Bees their long overdue reward, heading home from Mark Gower's corner after 61 minutes.

There was a dramatic finale to the match in the last ten minutes. Forest's Alex Meechan looked well offside when he slotted in the 80th minute equaliser.

Five minutes later Rob Sawyers restored Barnet's lead with a deft chip from the edge of the penalty area.

But Forest were not beaten yet. Steve Jenkins snatched an equaliser with a cross-shot in the last minute, and Shaw almost committed daylight robbery with his near miss in the closing seconds.

BARNET: Harrison, Gledhill, Heald, Arber, Flynn, Niven, Bell, Sawyers, Gower, Strevens, Purser.

Attendance: 964

November 24, 2001 17:49

JOHN POLLARD