Barnet recorded their second win in three pre-season games on Tuesday night, as a young squad helped to overcome St Albans City at Clarence Park.

In similar fashion to Saturday, Barnet named virtually the same side that finished the game against Crystal Palace before making wholesale changes during the second half.

The only alteration to the team came with Conor Clifford, who has been training with the club during the past week, replacing Fumnaya Shomotun in midfield.

With a light drizzle descending helping to create a slick playing surface just as the game kicked off, Barnet started the game brightly and quickly took the lead with just ten minutes on the clock.

Michael Gash, wearing the captain’s armband for the evening, was the scorer after using his power to head home a long throw by Sam Muggleton to put the Bees in front. 

Their lead did not last long however, as striker Simon Thomas held off a couple of challenges on the edge of the box before rifling a low shot into the bottom corner to make it 1-1 with twenty minutes gone.

Having gotten on the scoreboard the Saints started to grow into the game more and more, and the hosts eventually took the lead on 33 minutes as Michael Malcolm swept Luke Allen’s cut-back just inside the post to put them 2-1 ahead.

Both sides wrung the changes at the break, with St Albans switching all ten outfield players as Barnet made four substitutions of their own – replacing Joe Gater, Sam Muggleton, Wesley Fonguck and Clifford with Hakeem Odofin, Tamille Roache, Shomotun and new signing Shaun Batt.

The new faces helped to bring some more fluency to the Bees’ play, with them carving out a number of chances during the opening stages of the second half.

However, it was only after they had introduced seven more – with Chris Haigh, Charlie Kennedy, Justin Nwogu, Ryan Gondoh, Jack Taylor, Shane Cojocarel and Mathew Stevens replacing the remaining starters – that they drew level.

Shaun Batt was the scorer on 66 minutes when, having already gone close from similar range, he placed a curling effort into the top corner after collecting the ball out wide on the left wing and feinting inside his marker.

Three minutes later and the Bees were in front, with the youngest Barnet player on the pitch in seventeen-year-old Jack Taylor lashing a dipping shot over the keeper and into the net from 25 yards out.

The Bees made their final change of the evening with a little over ten minutes remaining, as Batt’s impressive cameo was brought to an end with the introduction of another second-year scholar in Nana Kyei, although the visitors were soon forced to play out the closing stages with ten men after Odofin was forced off injured.

It mattered not, as Barnet held on to record a second victory of the summer in another entertaining run-out.

Next up for the Bees is a trip to Maidenhead United on Saturday before Peterborough United visit The Hive on Tuesday.

St Albans City: Ashlee Jones; John Kyriacou (Michael Richens 46), James Comley (David Longe-King 46), Darren Locke (Jack Lampe 46), Lee Chappell (c)(Kayode Bola 46); Luke Allen (Steve Wales 46), Sam Corcoran (Howard Hall 46), Omar Beckles (Danny Green 46), Lewis Hilliard (Kieran Bishop 46); Michael Malcolm (Billy Medlock 46), Simon Thomas (Rod Young 46).

Barnet FC: Kai McKenzie-Lyle (Chris Haigh 61); Harry Taylor (Justin Nwogu 61), Joe Gater (Hakeem Odofin 46)), Bira Dembele (Charlie Kennedy 61), Sam Muggleton (Tamille Roache 46); Mauro Vilhete (Ryan Gondoh 61), Conor Clifford (Fumnaya Shomotun 46), Wesley Fonguck (Shaun Batt 46 (Nana Kyei 78)), Luke Gambin (Jack Taylor 61); Kevin Lisbie (Mathew Stevens 61), Michael Gash (c) (Shane Cojocarel 61).