Match Report: Barnet 2-2 Morecambe

For the second game in a row Barnet’s performance wasn’t reflected in the result as Morecambe struck late to snatch a point with a 2-2 draw in EFL League Two on Tuesday evening.

The Bees went ahead after seven minutes when John Akinde scored the first of two. But Morecambe levelled through Tom Barkhuizen two minutes later.

Akinde put Barnet back in front after 31 minutes, galloping clear and lifting home his seventh in nine league games already this season.

From there the Bees were in control and looked set to return to winning ways. However, with ten minutes remaining Cole Stockton snatched a point for Jim Bentley’s side with a scarcely deserved leveller. 

Barnet made three changes from the side beaten at Portsmouth on Saturday. Bondz N’Gala replaced the suspended Bira Dembele, Alex Nicholls came in for Harry Taylor and Jamie Stephens made his first league start since facing Carlisle United last month.

On the bench, Martin Allen included Fumnaya Shomotun for the first time this season. 

The game started at 100-miles-per-hour with Morecambe hitting the post after just five minutes through John Mullin.

However, two minutes later Barnet went in front when Akinde latched onto a Michael Nelson pass. He still had plenty to do but found a way past Barry Roche with a well-taken finish.

The lead lasted just four minutes. Morecambe, for the second time, thumped the post through Barkhuizen who headed home with Stephens already grounded by the initial effort.

That setback did not deter Barnet who nearly re-took the lead within two minutes. 

A good Mauro Vilhete ball to the back post was knocked down by Jamal Campbell-Ryce. But the covering Morecambe defender took the safety-first approach and hooked over his own crossbar for a corner.

Morecambe hit the woodwork for a third time in the 16th minute when midfielder Michael Rose strode forward an arrowed a shot towards the top right-hand corner.

Three minutes later the Shrimps repeated the trick as Stockton cracked the base of the post with a low left-footed effort.

Stockton then tested the returning Stephens with fierce left-footed drive which Barnet’s reigning Player of the Year did well to beat away.

The chances continued to flow with Barnet on top. First Nicholls scampered into the penalty area and brought a good stop out of Roche at the near post. Then, from the resulting corner, Akinde nodded back across the face of goal but saw his effort flicked off the line by a Morecambe head.

The Bees’ frontman was not to be denied and put Barnet back in the lead in the 31st minute.

Collecting a misplaced header back towards Morecambe’s penalty area, Akinde held off his marker and clipped over the onrushing Roche.

After a frantic first half an hour that was the way it stayed until the break with the Bees in control until the half-time whistle.

And it was Barnet who remained on top after the restart, nearly stretching their lead when Campbell-Ryce whipped an enticing low cross to the far post where a lunging Akinde could not quite stab home.

A better chance was to come, Campbell-Ryce sitting up an inviting ball to the back post for Akinde. The hulking forward made a good connection with his head but was denied by a fine reaction stop from Roche. 

Next to his luck was Vilhete, the Portuguese scampering forward and letting fly with a low shot which Roche diverted around the post with his feet.

The Shrimps had not offered any threat going forward in the second half yet drew level against the run of play with ten minutes remaining.

James Jennings’ cross from the left fell for Stockton who stabbed in at the near post, with the aid of a deflection, to grab the visitors an undeserved equaliser. 

Barnet nearly found a winner at the death when Shaun Batt turned smartly inside the penalty area and lashed across the face of goal, but it was not to be.

Next up for the Bees is a visit from Leyton Orient on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).

Barnet: Stephens; Vilhete, N’Gala, Nelson (c), Johnson; Nicholls (Batt 82), Weston, Togwell, Akpa Akpro (Gambin 86); Campbell-Ryce, Akinde.

Substitutes: Vickers (GK), Watson, Sesay, H. Taylor, Shomotun. 

Morecambe: Roche; Wakefield, Winnard (c), Edwards, Jennings; Rose, Kenyon (Murphy 75) Barkhuizen (Molyneux 67), Mullin (Dunn 65), Ellison; Stockton.

Substitutes: Nizic (GK), McGowan, Conlan, Massanka.

Referee: Lee Probert.

Attendance: 1,164 (37 Morecambe supporters).