Sensational first half helps Boro to all three points

Luke Foster’s strike, a comical Grant Basey own goal and a sensational Stacy Long volley have helped Boro to a 3-0 half-time lead against Barnet in a simply commanding display.

Mark Roberts makes it 4-0 a minute into the second half, but Barnet pulled two back with 15 minutes to go but Boro held on and were well worth the win.

2 – Joe Devera crosses from the right, Luke Foster diverts behind for a corner at the near post.

4 – Stacy Long corner, comes in quick across the face of goal. Appears to hit a Barnet hand, but Luke Foster is there to hit the ball home. 1-0

8 – Chris Day kicks a long ball forward, Grant Basey tries to clear the ball and he kicks it over his own keeper and it loops into the goal. Astonishing. 2-0

12 – Long’s corner goes deep to Scott Laird who heads at goal, and Michael Bostwick flicks his effort goalwards only for Tom Coulton to save low down.

18 – Lawrie Wilson’s deep cross from the right into the box. Chris Beardsley, sandwiched between two defenders, gets his head on it but can only head wide without any direction.

21 – Wilson crosses from the right again, and this time finds Long on the edge of the box. The midfielder heads towards goal without any pace and Coulton gathers.

24 – A move which started with a long Day punt to the half way line well controlled by Beardsley, finishes a minute later after the involvement of six Boro players with Beardsley trying to lay-off to Griffin in the box. Good movement, and passing.

27 – Sinclair plays the ball out on the right. He passes to Beardsley, received a one-two back, and pings a deep, deep cross over the heads of the strikers. Waiting at the far post is Long, who absolutely whacks it. Goal, on the volley from an acute angle. 3-0

31 – Ricky Holmes drives forwards with the ball and shoots from 20. Day dives, and mid-air, with a strong left hand, palms the ball to safety.

36 – Sinclair again picks out Long, this time Long tries side-footing his placed volley but Coulton gets behind it.

Half time.

46 – Barnet bring on Anwar Uddin and Mauro Vilhete for Clovis Kamojo and Sam Cox.

47 – Roberts heads home at the far post from a Chris Beardsley tap towards goal from a free kick. 4-0.

53 – Glen Southam shoots from 25 yards straight at Foster. Southam and his teammates claim handball, but referee Miller decides otherwise.

55 – Laird at left-back passes up the wing to Long who tricks his marker into leaving him enough space to cross. Beardsley is in the box, but his arching his back as the ball reaches his head and he can’t control it and heads wide.

57 – Long’s deep free kick finds Beardsley who is challenge in the air. The ball drops to Bostwick, and then flicks on to Griffin whose shot at goal from a tight angle is deflected out for a corner.

69 – Wilson runs past his marker on the right, gets to the line and pulls the ball back across goal for Winn to shoot. The substitute does get a shot off, but it’s immediately blocked and Barnet get the ball clear.

70 – Beardsley runs down the right, holding his marker off who eventually falls to the ground. Beardsley puts the ball into Odubade 25 yards out, who returns to the ball to Beardsley. The striker curls a cross dead centre into the 18-yard box and Long, who has made the run, heads at Coulton.

72 – Long’s free kick near the Barnet corner flag. He pulls the ball back for Mousinho, whose shot is blocked. Barnet break, but Mousinho chases all the way back to his 18-yard box to tackle.

73 – Barnet score when Izale McLeod scores at the far post after a shot across goal. McLeod’s effort was also across goal but Day can’t stop it from crossing the line. 4-1

74 – Parkes’ deep cross goes towards Day who has to palm the ball over his crossbar for a corner as Barnet press.

76 – Marshall takes a corner, which is blocked straight out to him. He gets hold of the ball, runs towards goal and curls a shot into Day’s far post. 4-2

77 – Marshall goes down under a challenge in the box. There are cries for a penalty, but the referee sees nothing in it.

83 – Coulton’s goal kick goes straight to Bostwick in the centre of the park. He heads it down, it takes a flick off a Barnet player into the path of Beardsley who takes a touch and running into the box hits a right-footer hard and straight. It hits the post, and rebounds out to the striker who can’t do anything more with it.

90 – Winn, on as a sub, is taken off after a clash of heads and a minute later Foster is forced into a block on the line as Barnet press for a third.

Full time

Boro: Day, Laird, Wilson, Roberts, Foster, Sinclair (Odubade, 66), Long, Mousinho, Bostwick, Beardsley, Griffin (Winn 66 (May, 90)). Subs: Bayes, O’Shea, Harrison, Maamria.

Barnet: Coulton, Holmes, Cox (Vilhete, 46), Southam (Jarvis, 84), Devera, Parkes, Basey, McLeod, Kamojo (Uddin, 46), Marshall, Hughes. Subs: Stimson, Dobson, Poole, Taylor.

Next update: full time