11:25pm Tuesday 1st December 2009
By Neil Meldrum
BRETT Pitman’s stunning first-half strike allowed Cherries to claim a share of the spoils from a pulsating clash at Underhill tonight.
Pitman’s goal just before half-time cancelled out John O’Flynn’s 15th-minute opener for the Bees, although the Channel Islander saw his penalty on 75 minutes saved by home keeper Jake Cole.
If on-the-deck football and easy-on-the-eye attacking flair guaranteed promotion, then both these sides should expect to be plying their trades in League One next term.
For Eddie Howe’s men, however, it was nearly another tale of Underhill woe, which this time centred on an uncharacteristically shaky first-half performance from the back four.
Albert Adomah and Albert Jarrett simply had too much pace and intelligent movement for Warren Cummings and Lee Bradbury, while centre pairing Jason Pearce and Ryan Garry had it all on trying to keep O’Flynn and lively Exeter loanee Craig McAllister quiet.
In truth, Ian Hendon’s men looked far from a side that had only managed just one win from their past six encounters before last night, while Howe’s table-toppers appeared a shadow of the image their lofty league status suggests.
Howe’s half-time team-talk had the desired effect, however, with his charges making a much better fist of the second period. However, after Pitman’s spot kick was pushed away by Cole, Cherries were left to head back down the M25 with only a point for their troubles.
Howe made two changes to the side beaten by Notts County in the FA Cup on Saturday, with captain Danny Hollands returning to the starting 11 in place of Marvin Bartley.
Goalkeeper Shwan Jalal, meanwhile, took his place between the sticks after recovering from a twisted ankle that ruled him out at the weekend.
The Cherries keeper was called into action as early as the third minute when punching clear under pressure from McAllister.
At the other end, Hollands blazed over, before Adomah, unmarked in the Cherries box as the Bees broke quickly, somehow managed to head deep into the stand.
Hendon’s men continued to take advantage of the dramatic Underhill slope as Cherries were forced to defend the home side’s potent attacking threat during the early stages.
Liam Feeney’s 10th-minute cross flashed across Cole’s goal after a rare Cherries attack down the right, but Howe’s men were on the defensive once again when Mark Hughes’s header flew narrowly over.
That missed opportunity was to act as a warning to Howe’s charges, though, and although Jalal rushed out to block Adomah’s drive after a quarter-of-an-hour, Pearce was unable to stop O’Flynn’s effort from the rebound crossing the line.
Cherries protested in vain that play should have been stopped in the build-up because Garry was grounded with a suspected broken nose.
O’Flynn, meanwhile, should’ve added to his tally seven minutes later after a stunning move saw the Irishman one-on-one with Jalal, but the Bees striker somehow fired his left-foot shot wide of the post with the Cherries keeper rooted to the spot.
Cherries, to their credit, continued to work the odd opening, although Feeney’s shot on the turn after 26 minutes was well wide of Cole’s upright.
Jalal, meanwhile, made himself big to keep out O’Flynn’s volley 60 seconds later, while Adomah’s curler 10 minutes before the break failed to trouble the Cherries keeper.
Against the run of play, however, Pitman yet again produced a moment of magic one minute before half-time to get Howe’s men back in the clash.
The striker lashed home an unstoppable right-foot shot for his 13th goal of the season after Feeney had given Ahmed Deen the slip down the left to send over a teasing cross.
Howe threw on Steve Fletcher after the restart, with Alan Connell making way, and it was the visitors who carved out the first meaningful second-half opening when Pearce’s header was cleared off the line by Bees skipper Micah Hyde.
Adomah headed wide from Kenny Gillet’s cross on 55 minutes as Hendon’s troops looked to get back in front once again, while the Bees boss spared Fletcher the pleasure of being the oldest player on the park when he introduced 41-year-old striker Paul Furlong to the action on the hour mark.
Pitman almost doubled his account moments later, but Cole dived full stretch to his left to hold the frontman’s snapshot.
And as the visitors started to take control of the contest, Bradbury’s 68th-minute rasping drive was tipped over by Cole.
Cherries got the reward their endeavour deserved with 15 minutes remaining when referee Kevin Wright correctly pointed to the spot after Pitman had been felled by keeper Cole.
But the Bees stopper guessed correctly and beat away Pitman’s spot kick. It was the Channel Islander’s second consecutive failure from 12 yards following his saved effort at Macclesfield on November 21.
The Cherries youth graduate almost made amends with nine minutes remaining, but once again Cole was equal to his effort, beating away a well-struck 25-yard free kick. And in a frenetic last six minutes, Cherries could consider themselves unlucky not to have taken all three points back to Dorset after continually pressuring Hendon’s no-nonsense back four.
Barnet: (4-4-2) Cole; Deen, Butcher, Yakubu, Gillet; Adomah, Hughes, M Hyde, Jarrett; O’Flynn (J Hyde, 70), McAllister (Furlong, 61).
Unused subs: Deverdics, Bolasie, Charles, Leach, Carpenter (g/k).
Booked: Cole.
Cherries: (4-4-2) Jalal 7.5*; Bradbury 6, Pearce 6.5, Garry 6.5, Cummings 6; Feeney 6.5 (McQuoid, 89), Hollands 6.5, Robinson 6.5, Igoe 6.5; Pitman 7, Connell 6 (Fletcher, h-t).
Unused subs: Bartley, Partington, Goulding, Thomas (g/k).
Booked: Robinson, Bradbury.
Referee: Kevin Wright (Cambridgeshire).
Attendance: 2,030 (including 675 away supporters).
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