A brace from Nnamdi Ofoborh with a Lee Ndlovu strike sandwiched between earned the Bees a well-deserved three points on home soil against Grimsby Town.
The Bees started off on the front foot and won a corner inside the first minute, but Ryan Glover’s delivery was met by and amber and black shirt and went out for a goal-kick.
With ten minutes on the clock, Barnet continued to put the visitors under pressure. Mark Shelton played the ball into Idris Kanu, with our number 11 laying it into the path of Kane Smith out on the left, but the latter’s effort was deflected out for a Bees’ corner.
Grimsby’s Charles Vernam fired the ball towards goal for the visitors’ first real effort of the afternoon, with Tyrell Warren connecting with it, but a Barnet foot got in the way to send it out for a Grimsby corner.
The Bees continued to grow into the game and Kanu played an inviting ball into the head of Glover who was waiting at the back post, but he frustratingly sent it into the side netting.
Christy Pym was then called into action for the Mariners, to parry away a strike from Lee Ndlovu that was heading goalward.
Vernam tried from distance for the visitors with less than five minutes to go before the break, but much to the delight of the home supporters, sent it sailing over the bar.
Nnamdi Ofoborh was on target for the Bees to give us a deserved lead on the stroke of half-time and his first Barnet goal.
A corner taken by Mark Shelton saw the ball fall to the feet of our number 28 just outside the area and he confidently struck it past Pym, and despite a bobble on its way, it found the back of the net to give Barnet a deserved lead going into the break.
Half-time: Barnet FC 1-0 Grimsby Town
The Bees started the second 45 just as they ended the first, with Shelton sending set-pieces into dangerous areas in a bid to double the lead early in the second-half.
The Mariners came charging forward against the run of play, with Vernam again at the heart of the attack, but Ofoborh made an excellent challenge to disrupt the play.
Nik Tavares found himself in a good position to almost head home a Shelton set-piece, but the ball found itself nestling on top of the net.
Lee Ndlovu doubled our lead on 65 minutes and got his second goal in two games. Kanu played the ball into our number nine who was in the right place to slot it into the bottom corner.
Ofoborh got his brace with a beautiful right-footed half-volley from outside the box, to send the home fans into a frenzy and give the Bees a three-goal cushion.
Our first change of the afternoon saw Ryan Glover replaced by Emmanuel Osadebe, with a triple substitution to follow. Callum Stead made way for Ronnie Stutter, who made his Barnet debut and Kane Smith and Ndlovu came off Ryan Galvin and Oli Hawkins.
Our final change saw Dennis Adeniran come on in place of Mark Shelton with four minutes of normal time to play.
The visitors had the ball in he box on numerous occasions in the final stages of the tie, but the Bees did well to deny Grimsby a late consolation goal and round of a fantastic performance at the Hive with a clean sheet.
Full-time: Barnet FC 3-0 Grimsby Town
Line-up: Slicker, Collinge, Senior, Ndlovu (Hawkins, 81’), Stead (Stutter, 80’), Kanu, Glover (Osadebe, 77’), Shelton, Smith (Galvin, 81’), Tavares, Ofoborh
Goals: Ofoborh (42’, 68’), Ndlovu (65’)
Attendance: 3,270, with 1275 away fans
Next up for Dean Brennan’s side is a visit to Oldham Athletic for an early kick-off on Saturday 27th September.
COYB