Nationwide Conference
01 November 2003

By Callum Williams

AN EARLY strike from ace marksman Guiliano Grazioli was enough to give Bees victory over lowly Northwich at Underhill on Saturday.

It may not have been one of Barnet's most fluid performances, but, with Hereford and Chester both dropping points, the win was crucial in keeping the Bees up among the front-runners in the conference table.

Grazioli's goal, which came after just five minutes, was about as unremarkable as the game itself. Simon King's corner was helped on by Chris Plummer for Grazioli, unmarked six yards out, to turn the ball over the line.

It was Grazioli's 17th strike of the season and could have opened the floodgates against a visiting side, battling at the wrong end of the table.

However, although Barnet were on top for all of the first half, they never found their way past a determined Northwich defence.

Skipper Ian Hendon came closest to increasing Barnet's first-half advantage, but his 25-yard pile-driver was scrambled away by Northwich keeper Andy Ralph.

Second half

Barnet started the second half in much the same way as the first and could and should have added to their goal tally when Ismail Yakubu was tripped in the penalty area by Mark Foran during Bees' first attack of the second period.

Grazioli was denied his 18th goal of the season when Ralph dived smartly to his right to turn away the spot-kick.

Although Northwich managed only one shot on target throughout the entire 90 minutes, Barnet's one-goal advantage always looked slim on paper and there was always the sneaking suspicion that one slip could have let the visitors in for a share of the spoils.

However, even allowing for six minutes of stoppage time (due mainly to Plummer's head injury), which kept many in the 1,800-plus crowd from the first classified reading of the results on Sports Report, the Bees held on comfortably.

Boss Martin Allen has instilled a passion and spirit into the Barnet squad, the type of which old Golden Balls and his highly-paid England team-mates would do well to copy. This was none more typified than when the tenacious Guy Lopez tracked back fully 25 yards to win a covering tackle deep into stoppage time.

After the game Martin Allen said:

"We will take a 1-0 win every week, we won the game and took three points. We never looked like conceding a goal and I was pleased with the keeper keeping a clean sheet.

"This was a very difficult game for us. They were well-organised, but we did okay and are well-placed for November."

Next Saturday' FA Cup first round tie with Stalybridge Celtic provides a distraction from the league action, but, with four team currently separated by one point at the top of the Conference table, it is crucial that nobody takes their eye off the ball.

Match Photos

Twenty five photos of the game by Chris Holland.

Bookings

Barnet

C.Plummer, 18, dissent
G.Grazioli, 35, unsporting behaviour

Northwich Victoria

M.Foran, 30, unsporting behaviour
K.Murray, 40, dissent
K.Charnock, 68, unsporting behaviour

Teams

Barnet

S.Gore, I.Hendon, S.King, C.Plummer, M.Rooney (M.Williams 61), D.Maddix, J.Gamble, G.Lopez, I.Yakabu (B.Strevens 90), L.Hatch (P.Beadle 61), G.Grazioli

Unused substitutes: T.Taggart, R.Millard

Northwich Victoria

A.Ralph, M.Barnard, K.Charnock, L.Woodyatt, M.Foran, M.Devlin (R.Norris 79), K.Murray, C.Blackburn (H.McAuley 46), R.Black (P.McGuire 57), C.Thompson, J.Allan

Unused substitutes: A.Woods, C.Ward

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