Second-half goals from David Tutonda and Ephron Mason-Clark underlined a marked second-half improvement from Barnet’s Under-21 on Tuesday as Dean Selvey’s Bees went down 4-2 at Peterborough United in the Reserve League Cup.

With his side trailing at the break, Selvey admitted his frustrations with the Bees’ first-half showing but was encouraged by what he saw after the restart at the Mick George Training Centre.

“It was a weird game,” Selvey said. “We started terribly and our defensive performance in the first 30 mins was nothing short of horrendous.

“We had a lot of chances at the other end and sometimes when you concede that early people are very quick to look at the back four and the defensive protection they’re getting from midfield. But, actually, we were culpable at both ends of the pitch because we created some good chances and didn’t put them in the net.”

A candid exchange at half-time prompted a much-improved second 45 from the Bees, who have won against Southend United and Colchester United already in their group.

Selvey said: “We went in at half time and I had a chat to the boys. I was quite stern with my words because the performance wasn’t good enough. 

“It’s not a position they’ve been in very often because they’ve had a very successful run under Rossi and a good start with myself. 

“We came out in the second half and it was a much better performance. We scored two goals and could have scored quite a few more whereas Peterborough were limited in their chances. At 4-0 down I challenged them to win the second half and treat it as a fresh game.

“Overall it was disappointing because the group did not show how good they are or the high level they should be performing at.”

Barnet: McKenzie-Lyle; Day, H. Taylor, Payne, Tutonda; Sweeney, Cojocarel, Fonguck; Nicholls, Amaluzor, Mason-Clark.

Subs: Shomotun, Brown, Watson.

The Bees’ Under-21s host AFC Wimbledon at The Hive next Tuesday (1pm). You can watch Dean’s full video interview below: