Barnet relegated

Barnet's ten-year stay in the Football League is over after a feeble first-half display left them trailing 3-0 to Torquay in their final Third Division match of the season.

The Bees made a brave fightback, but a 3-2 defeat condemned them to relegation to the Nationwide Conference.

A first-half penalty miss by Darren Currie in the 41st minute, when Torquay were leading 2-0, was the game's turning point. Danny Brown sent a long high throw into the penalty area. Tony Richards challenged and defender Jimmy Aggrey handled. But Currie's spot-kick was poorly placed and keeper Jones, diving to his right, kept the ball out.

The Bees suffered a cruel first-minute blow when keeper Lee Harrison was stretchered off with a sprained ankle following a heavy fall in an aerial duel with Torquay striker Eifion Williams. Danny Naisbitt took over the jersey.

A catalogue of disasters followed for Barnet. Torquay, needing only a draw to survive, took a ninth-minute lead. Barnet's Warren Goodhind sent a clearance straight to Torquay's Jason Rees, who powered a 25-yard return shot into the corner of the net. Rees was stretchered off seven minutes later followng a challenge by John Doolan.

Torquay went further ahead after 29 minutes when Paul Holmes sent a short corner to Mick O'Brien, whose cross was met by Kevin Hill with a powerful header from six yards. That was a severe blow to the Bees, needing a win to avoid relegation, but worse followed with Currie's penalty miss.

Two minutes before the interval came another blow. Lee Flynn mis-kicked as he tried to cut out a cross from Williams and David Graham fired Torquay's third goal.

Barnet's caretaker manager John Still made a double substitution at the start of the second half, when Frazer Toms and Mark Gower took over from Brown and Flynn.

With the wind and slope in their favour, Barnet began a tremendous fightback. Player of the year Sam Stockley fired a powerful 20-yard shot that was kept out in spectacular style by Jones.

The Bees had a stroke of good fortune at last in the 59th minute. Torquay's Ryan Green, attempting to clear Currie's high cross, sent a looping header over Jones for an own goal.

A pitch invasion by two streakers held up play for a few minutes as Barnet put Torquay under continuous pressure. Barnet's fading hopes got a timely boost in the 76th minute when in a goalmouth scramble, Wayne Purser forced the ball over the line for their second goal.

Keeper Jones, with much justification, protested to the referee that he had been fouled but to no avail.

The desperate Bees produced a storming finish, but shots from Mark Arber and Gower were blocked. Torquay hung on grimly to their slender advantage to retain their Third Division status, sending the brave Bees down.

Scorers:

Barnet: Green (og, 59), Purser (76)

Torquay: Rees (9), Hill (25), Graham (43)

Attendance 5,523

BARNET TEAM: Harrison (Naisbitt 1), Stockley, Heald, Arber, Flynn (Toms 46), Doolan, Goodhind, Brown (Gower 46), Currie, Purser, Richards. Subs not used: Strevens, Bell.

Referee: RJ Beeby (Northampton)