Points shared in six-goal thriller as Barnet were held away at Chesterfield
Barnet were held to their third consecutive draw in a row after a dramatic 3-3 encounter with Chesterfield, with the hosts equalising three times throughout the 90 minutes, including a stoppage-time goal to deny the Bees all three points.
The action began almost immediately, when Kabongo Tshimanga presented with an early opportunity. The striker received the ball, turned towards goal and looked to get his shot away, but his effort flew wide of the target.
It was clear from the opening stages that this was going to be an entertaining contest. Both sides started brightly and looked to take control, with chances beginning to fall at either end.
The Bees created another opportunity soon after when Tom Knowles delivered a cross from the right following a short throw-in. Looking to pick out Zac Williams in the box, his delivery was deflected behind for an early Barnet corner.
Chesterfield soon began to raise the tempo themselves, with loanee Louie Marsh looking to cause problems. The forward tested Bees goalkeeper Mathew Cox with a dangerous low ball into the box, but Cox was able to gather comfortably.
Barnet continued to push forward in search of the opening goal, with captain Danny Collinge finding plenty of space in the 20th minute. The defender set himself up for an effort from outside the area, but his low strike drifted narrowly wide of the post.
Moments later, the hosts were reduced to 10 men following an altercation between Idris Kanu and Chesterfield defender Remeao Hutton. Kanu was pushed to the ground, with Hutton shown a yellow card.
The Bees soon made their numerical advantage count as they found the breakthrough through Knowles. The winger collected the ball from another short throw-in before driving forward down the right. After beating three defenders and making his way into the area, Knowles curled a superb effort into the top-left corner to give Barnet the lead.
Barnet continued to put the pressure on the hosts as they looked to take full advantage of their extra man and extend their lead. However, Chesterfield found an equaliser through a moment of quality from Marsh.
The forward turned to face goal from outside the area before unleashing a powerful effort which flew over Cox, struck the inside of the post and found its way into the back of the net to level the scores.
As half-time approached, Liam Mandeville came close to giving Chesterfield the lead after being played through down the right, but his effort drifted wide of the far post.
However, with just a minute remaining before the break, Barnet restored their advantage. Knowles once again provided the delivery from the right, picking out Williams in the middle. The defender rose highest to head the ball into the bottom-right corner and give Dean Brennan’s side the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Half-Time: Chesterfield 1-2 Barnet FC
The second half began in frantic fashion as Barnet came agonisingly close to adding a third. Charlie Lakin saw a close-range effort saved by the goalkeeper, with the rebound falling first to Oisin Gallagher and then Idris Kanu, but Chesterfield somehow managed to block each attempt and keep the ball out.
The hosts then looked to break forward on the counter-attack in search of another equaliser, but a misplaced pass brought the move to an end, allowing Cox to collect comfortably.
Marsh continued to cause problems for the Bees and drove down the left before cutting inside and attempting to curl an effort into the top-right corner, but his shot sailed wide.
Shortly afterwards, however, Marsh struck again. A Chesterfield effort forced Cox into a diving save, but the rebound fell kindly into the path of Marsh, who calmly placed the ball into the back of the net to bring the hosts level for a second time.
Barnet were forced to regroup once again and were almost caught out moments later when Adam Senior’s back pass to Cox lacked sufficient power.
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The goalkeeper was forced to rush from his line and clear the danger, but with the ball having been deliberately played back to him, Chesterfield were awarded an indirect free-kick inside the area. Fortunately for the Bees, the resulting opportunity came to nothing.
With the game entering the final 10 minutes, both sides continued to search for a winner. Brennan turned to his bench and introduced fresh legs, including Jack Maskell and Isaiah Noel-Williams, in an attempt to make an impact.
And it was Maskell who played a crucial role in Barnet’s third goal. The forward rose high to win a header and knock the ball into the path of Tshimanga, who was played through on goal. The striker made no mistake, burying his effort into the bottom-right corner to restore the Bees’ lead with just minutes remaining.
It looked as though Barnet had finally found the winner, but Chesterfield had one final response.
Deep into stoppage time, the hosts broke into space down the left, forcing Cox to rush from his line in an attempt to intercept. The ball was played beyond the goalkeeper and lifted into the air, allowing Joel Randall to head into an open net and claim Chesterfield’s third equaliser of the afternoon.
The final whistle sounded shortly afterwards, bringing an end to a thoroughly entertaining six-goal thriller, with both sides forced to settle for a point.
Full-Time: Chesterfield 3-3 Barnet FC
Dean Brennan’s side return to home soil next Saturday as they host Accrington Stanley in the next instalment of their Sky Bet League Two campaign.
Line-up: Cox, Collinge, Senior, Williams, Knowles (Noel-Williams 67′), Lakin, Ofoborh, Kanu, Comley (Maskell 74′), Tshimanga (Wright 90′), Gallagher
Goals: Barnet: Knowles (28′), Williams (45+3′), Tshimanga (88′) Chesterfield: Marsh (38′, 70′), Randall (90+3′)
