BARNET climbed to the top of the Conference Premier with a comfortable victory over nine-man Braintree Town.

Dean Wells and Alan Massey were sent off for Braintree in the first-half before Keanu Marsh-Brown, Mark Byrne and Jake Hyde all struck in the second period.

There were two changes from Barnet's 1-1 draw against Nuneaton on Saturday, with Jordan Brown and Harry Crawford coming in for Elliott Johnson and Roberto Casabella.

With the game only two minutes old, Braintree went down to 10 men.

Centre-back Wells went in with a horrendous two footed lunge on Bees midfielder Byrne, leaving the referee no option but to send him off.

Despite this blow, Braintree almost opened the scoring on 15 minutes, with striker Sean Marks looping a header just past the post.

Fifteen minutes later, Barnet came even closer to scoring. A short corner was worked to Crawford, who took a touch and thundered his shot against the post.

Crawford was involved again just after the half-hour mark, when Massey was sent off for fouling him inside the box after a darting run.

However, Hyde fired his penalty straight at McDonald, who gathered the ball at the second attempt.

The second-half could hardly have stared better for Barnet.

Jordan Brown's deep-searching cross into the penalty box was palmed away by McDonald but only into the path of Marsh-Brown, who comfortably slotted the ball home.

Barnet doubled their lead on 72 minutes through Byrne. His centre-midfield partner Curtis Weston laid the ball off to the Irishman, who struck a phenomenal effort into the corner from 25 yards.

The Bees could - and should - have made it 3-0 on 81 minutes.

Substitute Mauro Vilhete cut in from the right and his shot could only be parried to Marciano, whose follow up was blocked. The ball then presented itself to Hyde, who was unable to convert from close range.

Hyde though was going to end the match with a fifth goal in as many games by extending Barnet's lead on 90 minutes.

The referee played a good advantage after Vilhete's jinking run was halted, with Hyde slotting the ball into the bottom corner, rounding off a comfortable win for visitors.

BEES: Stack; Yiadom, Acheampong (Marciano), Stephens, Brown; Byrne (Abdulla), Weston, Crawford; Marsh-Brown (Vilhete), Gambin, Hyde.

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