The Barnet FC senior squad rounded off their pre-season in style on Saturday, comfortably beating last season’s Conference play-off semi-finalists Eastleigh 2-0 at the Silverlake Stadium.
First half strikes from Andy Yiadom and Mauro Vilhete were enough to see off the Spitfires, in a match with few clear cut chances but plenty of endeavour.
Barnet’s played their best football in the opening stages of this encounter, and Yiadom found himself on the score sheet after just two minutes.
A Michael Gash pass found the Barnet winger on the edge of the box, before he fired a shot low past Poke in the Eastleigh goal.
On 15 minutes Vilhete doubled Barnet’s advantage, with Gash again the architect.
The winger found himself one-on-one with the Eastleigh keeper following a Gash through ball; neatly finishing to put daylight between the Bees and Eastleigh.
Barnet suffered a blow on 27 minutes, when veteran striker Kevin Lisbie had to be replaced after appearing to strain his hamstring.
With young frontman Mat Stevens entering the fray, the Bees continued to control proceedings for the remainder of the first period.
Eastleigh’s only clear chance of the half fell to former Bee Lee Cook; the winger’s free kick was on target but easily saved by trialist Jamie Stephens in the Barnet goal.
Gavin Hoyte headed the resulting corner off the line, to ensure that Barnet went into the half time break comfortably ahead.
The best chance of a quiet second half fell to the substitute Stevens on 75 minutes, heading wide of the left hand post after a Sam Muggleton long throw.
Eastleigh offered little threat in the latter stages of the match, and a swathe of late substitutes from the Bees allowed Barnet to see out a comfortable victory.
The club’s development squad travel to Northwood on Monday night (kick off 7.30pm), while the first team begin their League Two campaign away at Leyton Orient on Saturday.
Eastleigh FC: Michael Poke; Joe Partington, Jamie Turley, Paul Reid (c) (Will Evans 68), Michael Green (Aswad Thomas 78); Ben Strevens, Andy Drury; Yemi Odubade (Jai Reason 57), Jack Midson (Jack Alexander 83), Lee Cook (Ross Lafayette 57); James Constable.
Barnet FC: Jamie Stephens; Gavin Hoyte, Bondz N’Gala, Bira Dembele, Elliott Johnson; Andy Yiadom (Sam Muggleton 54), Sam Togwell, Tom Champion (Ben Tomlinson 70 (Curtis Weston 89)), Mauro Vilhete; Michael Gash (Luke Gambin 54), Kevin Lisbie (Mathew Stevens 27).
