A stoppage time goal from Kyle Vassell denied Kevin Nugent his first win as Barnet First Team Coach as Blackpool came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Bloomfield Road.

Akinde tucked home his 21st of the season after 13 minutes, following in after Curtis Weston hit the post, before Clough sent a bullet header past Dean Lyness after meeting Ruben Bover’s corner four minutes into the second half. 

The Seasiders got one back in the 59th minute through Nathan Delfouneso and secured a point in a stoppage time when Vassell prodded home from point-blank range following a corner.

 

Kevin Nugent made two changes for Barnet with Bira Dembele and Jamal Campbell-Ryce coming into the starting XI.

Out went Elliott Johnson – who was injured – and Simeon Akinola. Dembele slotted in at left-back and Campbell-Ryce on the left flank.

Otherwise the Bees were unchanged, though there was a place on the bench for Ryan Watson.

Barnet started brightly at a sparsely-populated Bloomfield Road and took the lead after 13 minutes.

Weston, deployed behind Akinde as a number ten, let fly from 20 yards but saw his strike rebound off the base of the left-hand post. Akinde, though, was on the scene immediately and tucked into the empty net to give the Bees the lead.

Blackpool’s best move of the first half saw Barnet’s defence pulled out of position creating room for Colin Daniel on the left-hand side of the box. However, the midfielder fizzed his low effort wide of the far post on the run.

The visitors nearly doubled their lead soon after when Campbell-Ryce made enough room to curl an effort towards the far corner only for Lyness to push his strike to safety.

There was just one blot on an otherwise ideal first half for Barnet when Ricardo Santos was replaced by Harry Taylor due to injury. Taylor slotted in at left-back, with Dembele moving to centre-half, and never looked troubled.

Five minutes before the break Akinde should have doubled up. The big number nine cut in from the left and worked a shooting position but dragged wide of the near post.

Sixty seconds later the Bees were indebted to the reaction of Harry Burgyone. The Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee showed his full range of reflexes to push Jordan Flores’ goal-bound free-kick out of the top corner just before the break.

After a string of near misses Barnet did extend their lead four minutes into the second half. Ruben Bover delivered a tantalising corner from the left which Clough headed home with aplomb.  

Mauro Vilhete very nearly bagged a third almost immediately, whistling a low shot just wide of the near post.

Blackpool refused to roll over at 2-0 down and took the game to Barnet. Gary Bowyer’s men got their reward in the 59th minute when Delfouneso collected a past and slotted beyond Burgoyne from inside the box.

The home side fought to find a route back into the game but could not break down a resolute Barnet defence with Dembele, in particular, imperious alongside skipper Michael Nelson.

Blackpool’s best chance came four minutes from the end when substitute Bright Osayi-Samuel got into the penalty area but shot straight at Burgoyne from the left-hand side of the box.

That was until the first minute of stoppage time. The Seasiders swung a corner in from the right and Clark Robertson headed against the post. 

Just as the visitors looked to have escaped unscathed, Vassel poked home on the line to snatch a point for the Seasiders.