Match report: Hornchurch vs Barnet

Bees win late to keep pre-season unbeaten but at a cost reports Nick Sandamas

The Bees continued their unbeaten pre-season with a late goal from last season’s top scorer Nicke Kabamba enough to see off last season’s Isthmian League Premier Division champions on a hot day at Bridge Road, but the game was affected by injuries to 3 Barnet players last season. the first half.

A good exchange of passes between Bees players Ben Coker and Callum Stead in the 12th minute found Billy Clifford who was able to curl his shot over the Urchins bar in just the first chance of the game.

With the heat taking its toll on the players, the game could not flow and the only other scoring chance of the first half came close to half-time: it fell to the Urchins when a misplaced pass from Zak Brunt came to his feet. by Femi Akinwande, whose one-on-one saw goalkeeper Nick Hayes rise and make a one-handed stop to deny the home side a half-time lead.

However, during the first 45, injuries to Rhys Browne (hamstring), Reece Hall-Richards and Nik Taveras forced the Bees to withdraw their plans.

The second half followed much the same pattern, with few chances on goal.

Urchins Joe Christou saw his effort deflected wide for a corner just after halfway.

Then, with five minutes remaining, the Bees rallied to score and secured a 1-0 win when a Coker corner was cleared to Myles Kenlock. He sent the ball into the left-hand box straight to Kabamba, who cleverly flicked his header over goalkeeper Joe Wraight and into the corner of the net for the winner.

All in all, a tough game against newly promoted National South, with one goal in the end being enough.

With the National League season just two weeks away, the Bees have two more pre-season friendlies to finish, the first being away to Hampton and Richmond Borough on Tuesday, followed by League Two side AFC Wimbledon at The Hive next Saturday.

Starting XI: Hayes, Taveras, Oluwo, Kenlock, Coker, Hall-Richards, Hartigan, Clifford, Browne, Stead, Kabamba

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