Callum Stead’s first goal since December wasn’t enough to earn the Bees a valuable three points on home soil, as two second-half goals from relegation-threatened Newport County saw the points head back to South Wales.
Dean Brennan made two changes to the XI that started the game against Salford City last time out. Anthony Hartigan took the captains armband and Nik Tavares returned in defence.
Rhys Browne returned to the squad, while Ben Winterburn was sidelined.
The visitors showed intent when Harrison Biggins sent an effort soaring over the bar with not even a minute on the clock.
The first Bees’ attack saw Adam Senior play the ball into Callum Stead down the right-hand side. Our number ten worked the ball into the box, but was unable to get the shot away.
The forward found himself in a good position minutes later, receiving a flick on from Idris Kanu, before flashing it across goal, but there was no amber and black shirt in the six-yard box to get on the end of it.
As the tie ticked towards the 15-minute mark, Newport County won the ball high up the pitch and worked it around the box patiently, but Bobby Kamwa’s shot was well wide of the target.
Newport captain Matthew Baker sent the ball into the box as the first 45 entered it’s latter stages, but Senior sent it out for a corner that didn’t trouble Cieran Slicker.
The deadlock was broken shortly after, when Slicker’s first-time clearance fell to the feet of Stead. Our number ten worked the ball closely to his feet before cooly slotting the ball past Jordan Wright for the opener.
The Bees came agonisingly close to a second five minutes later. Anthony Hartigan sent his free-kick out to Ryan Glover on the right-hand side, with our number 15 having plenty of space and time to loop the ball into the back post where Kabongo Tshimanga was positioned, but the striker couldn’tt direct his header down and instead sent it over the bar.
Slicker’s first save of the game saw him deny Exiles’ 19th-minute substitute Ben Lloyd from close-range and keep Barnet ahead heading into the break.
Half-time: Barnet FC 1-0 Newport County
The first ten minutes of the second-half saw little action in either boxes, with Llyod whipping the ball into the Bees’ box, but Danny Collinge’s block sent it out for a corner, which was sent into the area before an eventual foul from Newport County half-time substitute James Crole saw referee halt their attack.
Another entry in the Barnet box saw Biggins with the ball in the area, but Collinge did well to stay on the shoulder, before winning the ball back from the visiting midfielder and clearing the danger.
The visitors continued to pile the pressure on, with Lloyd having another chance on goal. This time, his goal-bound shot deflected on its way through and Collinge was there to clear it off the line.
Up the other end, Romoney Crichlow connected with a Hartigan corner, but the defender could only guide it into the hands of Wright.
Newport found the equaliser on 65 minutes, with Kamwa slotting past Slicker inside the area.
Dean made his first double change just after the 70-minute mark, with Mark Shelton and Oli Hawkins coming on in place of Hartigan and Kanu.
Christian Fuch’s side came so close to taking the lead with ten minutes of normal time to go, curling the ball onto the crossbar, much to the frustration of the traveling County fans.
The visitors, did however, find the back of the net for a second time this afternoon shortly after, with Crole poking it home from close-range to give the relegation-threatened side the late advantage.
Browne came on on place of goalscorer Stead in our third change of the tie, with just over 5 minutes of normal time to play.
Our number eight found the ball at his feet as four minutes additional time was indicated, headed on by Senior in the area, but Wright came off his line to gather, before Shelton’s rebound went wide in the last action of the game.
Full-time: Barnet FC 1-2 Newport County
Line-up: Slicker, Collinge, Senior, Stead (Browne, 84’), Kanu (Hawkins, 74’), Glover, Hartigan (Shelton, 74’), Tshimanga, Crichlow, Tavares, Ofoborh
Attendance: 2,256, with 280 visitors