Darren Currie made two changes heading into this afternoon’s league fixture against the Hatters as club captain, James Dunne, returned to the starting 11 for the injured Callum Reynolds, whilst Wes Fonguck took the place of Charlee Adams in the centre of midfield.

The Bees were well on the front foot from the get-go and took the lead inside 10 minutes through Simeon Akinola. 

Wes Fonguck took hold on the edge of the box before he slid a fantastic ball through to the Bees number 14 inside the area. Sim checked back only to be fouled which gave referee, Elliott Swallow, no choice but to point to the spot.

Having made the penalty, Sim took the spot-kick himself and calmly slotted into the bottom right corner to put Currie’s side in the ascendancy early on.

As the game hit the halfway stage of the first half, the Bees continued to dominate and had a couple of chances to go two goals to the good. Akinola took a touch inside the box but was quickly snuffed out before Ricardo Santos headed straight at Ben Hinchcliffe from close range following a long Paul McCallum throw.

Ben Jackson had the first sight of goal for the Hatters but couldn’t steer his speculative effort from the edge of the box on target as Scott Loach watched it sail over his crossbar. Connor Dimaio tried his luck from a similar position to the same outcome just minutes later.

The hosts found their feet as the first half ticked on and on the stroke of half-time, they were back on level terms. The ball was floated in from the right-hand side, Palmer jinked away from his man and guided an impressive header into the far corner to send the teams to the changing rooms with the scoreline level at the break.

Stockport were the brighter of the two teams in the early stages of the second half and looked the most likely to take the lead. Hinchliffe, who’s kicking out of the hands impressed all afternoon, fired an accurate long-ball to Nyal Bell who had just Loach to beat, but he could only loft into the stand. 

Palmer, the scorer of the first Stockport goal, was inches away from his second of the game on two occasions as he struck the woodwork from two separate set-pieces. The first corner he headed onto the Barnet crossbar before he came flying onto the second set-piece to direct onto the far post and into the arms of a grateful Scott Loach.

Curries’s side kept pushing for a winner though and almost nicked it with just 10 minutes to play as Santos and Paul McCallum both went close in the final stages at Edgeley Park.

Santos headed goalwards from an Elliott Johnson corner, but Minihan was on hand to head off the goal line and away from danger before McCallum latched onto a Cheye Alexander cross, but could only steer straight at Hinchliffe from inside the area.

Team

Loach, Alexander, Johnson, Santos, Dunne (C), Sparkes  (Tutonda, 73′), Akinola (Walker, 73′), McCallum, Taylor, Fonguck (Mason-Clark, 64′), Sweeney

Unused Subs: Matrevics, Adams.

 

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The Bees face their second away game of three in a week as they travel to the Laithwaite Community Stadium on Tuesday night to take on Woking.