Mauro Vilhete admitted that it felt good to score his first goal of the season after helping Barnet beat Torquay United 2-1 at Plainmoor at the weekend.
Vilhete, who started out on right-hand side of midfield having played primarily as a full-back so far this campaign, gave the Bees the lead after just fifteen minutes with a well-taken strike that he believes shows that his practice has been paying off:
“It is good to get off the mark but most of all we needed those three points. It was good to be back where I started playing. I enjoyed being able to attack a little bit more and I got my rewards with the goal.
“I’ve been working on my finishing a little bit and I think you could see that with the way that I relaxed a little bit after cutting inside and taking my time before hitting the ball and luckily I’ve managed to get a clean strike and hit the back of the net.”
Barnet were made to work for the win having had Bondz N’Gala sent off on 37 minutes and finishing the game with nine men after Jon Nurse was forced to hobble off with Martin Allen already having made three substitutions, but Mauro believes that the Bees’ ability to cope with such difficulties is a testament to the character of the squad:
“It just goes to show that we are a strong team and we will always work for each other. No matter what circumstances we are in we will always put in 110 per cent.
“Once we got that second goal we knew that we just had to continue what we had been doing to see it out, and we did it well. We kept pressing, keeping the ball and attacking when we got the chance.”
The victory – Barnet’s eighth on the road so far this season – was enough to extend the Bees’ lead at the top of the Vanarama Conference to nine points, and Barnet’s longest serving player is determined to keep maintain the good feeling surrounding the club as he and his team look to continue their excellent form into the New Year:
“It was a great result for us. For us to stay up at the top we need to keep claiming those three points, and that is what we did.
“I’m loving it. It is a first for me since I’ve been at the club because we haven’t been up at the top of the league but I’m enjoying every minute of it.
“The lads are on a massive high and hopefully that continues until the end of the season.”
