Nationwide Conference
11 October 2003

By Callum Williams

A LARGE following of Barnet fans travelled to Tamworth in good spirits on Saturday, but were silenced by the Lambs.

A goal in each half, both courtesy of free-kicks by home skipper Mark Cooper, consigned Barnet to their second defeat of the week and saw them surrender their place in the top three of the Conference.

Barnet got off to the worst possible start when Cooper stepped up to crack his first goal of the afternoon from a 25-yard free-kick that flew just inside David Forde's right-hand post.

The Bees responded quickly and leading scorer Guiliano Grazioli saw his close-range effort ruled out for offside and then saw another shot pass narrowly over the Tamworth crossbar.

Things then got worse for Barnet as they lost Ben Strevens with a foot injury. Mark Williams substituted.

Tamworth were swift to snuff out any threat from the Barnet attack and always looked dangerous on the break with former Cambridge United striker Armand One causing plenty of problems for the visitors' defence with his size, strength and pace.

Second Half

The second half saw Tristram Whitman go close for the Lambs, while at the other end, Williams and Peter Beadle both failed to convert reasonable chances for the Bees.

Tamworth effectively ended the game as a contest on 63 minutes when a skirmish on the edge of the Barnet penalty area ended with Cooper smacking his second free-kick through a totally disorganised defensive wall.

The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of Barnet, who could have gone further behind, but for an excellent block by Forde from One and a narrow miss by Brett Darby, which rounded off Tamworth's best move of the match.

Barnet had started the afternoon as hot favourites to roast the Lambs, but were silenced by a nighmare performance that cast Mark Cooper in the role of Hannibal Lecter.

Match Photos

Twenty one photos of the game by Chris Holland.

Bookings

Barnet

G.Lopez, 60, unsporting behaviour

Tamworth

R.Follett, 41, unsporting behaviour

Teams

Barnet

D.Forde, I.Hendon, I.Yakabu, T.Taggart (S.King 61), C.Plummer, D.Maddix, J.Gamble (L.Hogg 72), G.Lopez, B.Strevens (M.Williams 12), G.Grazioli, P.Beadle

Unused substitutes: L.Roach, R.Millard

Tamworth

P.Whitehead, R.Warner, T.Jordan, L.Ayres (J.Taylor 32), M.Cooper, S.Rickards, E.Stanford, J.Blunt, R.Follett, T.Whitman (B.Darby 82), A.One (A.Watson 69)

Unused substitutes: J.Lindsey, K.Johnson

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