A John Akinde double helped Barnet to three points, as they beat Newport County in an exciting Boxing Day clash at The Hive.

Andy Yiadom was felled in the area by Medy Elito in the 51st minute, with the last man receiving his marching orders from referee Tim Robinson. 

Akinde calmly slotted home the spot kick to give the Bees a second half advantage.

The forward then added a second in the 89th minute to ensure that the Bees secured a second home win in successive games. 

Luke Gambin had the opening chance of the match for Barnet when his fifth minute shot from the edge of the box was tipped over the bar by Joe Day.

The Newport keeper again had to be at his best two minutes later, when he got down low to turn Aaron McLean’s right wing drive around the post. 

The visitors’ first chance of note came in the 27th minute, when Tommy O’Sullivan fired a volley into the side netting after a quick throw from Danny Holmes. 

Yiadom had a chance to break the deadlock on 34 minutes, but his shot from the edge of the box flew wide of the left post.

Newport responded a minute later when Scott Boden connected with an O’Sullivan’s cross from the right, only to see his shot fly over the bar from a couple of yards out. 

Elito then tried a speculative long-range drive that went just wide of the right post on the stroke of half time.

County’s O’Sullivan fired another dangerous cross into the box just after the half time break – this time Lenell John-Lewis headed over the crossbar. 

The game then turned in Barnet’s favour when Yiadom was brought down in the box by Elito in the 51st minute.

The midfielder saw red, and Akinde rolled the resulting penalty into the bottom right corner.

Newport responded to going a goal down though John-Lewis – the powerful forward floated a shot over the bar after 55 minutes. 

John-Lewis was again in the thick of the action ten minutes later, when his header forced Ian Lawlor into an outstanding save down to his right. 

Yiadom had two chances to extend the Bees’ lead with a quarter of an hour left on the clock.

Barnet’s captain saw his diving header saved by Day, after meeting Elliott Johnson’s pinpoint cross from the left. 

County’s keeper then pushed away Yiadom’s shot from distance a minute later.

The Bees extended their lead in the penultimate minute of the match, when Akinde latched onto a mix up in the Newport defence to poke him his second of the game.

Martin Allen’s side are now unbeaten in three matches, and head to Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium on Monday.