Keanu Marsh Brown’s second half strike sealed a Barnet comeback as they beat Salisbury City 3-1 getting their Skrill Premier promotion bid back on track, writes Dev Trehan .
An early Dan Fitchett strike gave the visitors the lead. But two goals in two minutes from Ahmed Abdulla and Andy Yiadom, followed by a late strike from Marsh-Brown saw Barnet win their first game in six matches.
Barnet made three changes from the side that lost 2-1 against Macclesfield with Roberto Casabella, Luke Gambin and Keanu Marsh-Brown (pic) replacing Mauro Vilhete, Curtis Weston and Harry Crawford.
Edgar Davids started his second game in a row captaining the side at centre back alongside David Stephens in defence.
The player-head coach was in the thick of it early with some short passes and crunching tackles before Barnet created the game’s first opening when Luisma Villa flashed wide from 25 yards.
But when Davids gave away a needless free kick on eight minutes Barnet did something they have done regularly this season, they conceded a goal from a free kick.
Elliot Frear’s deep cross was missed by the Barnet defence and met at the back post by Fitchett resulting in Barnet conceding their fifth goal from a set-piece in six games.
Barnet tried to bounce back when Gambin flashed wide before he created a glorious chance after nicking the ball off Theo Lewis, forcing Salisbury goalkeeper Will Puddy into a save.
Either side of the break Barnet created chances, first through Marciano Mengerink before Villa went close just after the interval.
Salisbury looked increasingly threatening forcing a succession of corners as they tried to extend their lead further but against the odds it was from a corner that Barnet found the equaliser. Marsh-Brown’s cross was nodded home by Abdulla after 72 minutes.
Two minutes later Villa played a slide-rule pass to Yiadom who advanced from right back before jinking away from two Salisbury defenders and firing into the bottom left corner.
Marsh-Brown then notched his sixth of the season on 88 minutes when the free-kick he won was deflected to seal a triumphant comeback.
Ironically, Davids who had been at fault for the first goal played the ball to Marsh-Brown to win the free kick and laid it off the free kick off to Marsh Brown to score.
Barnet FC: Stack, Davids, Yiadom, Johnson, Marsh-Brown, Byrne (Abdulla), Gambin (Vilhete), Mengerink, Casabella, Villa (Acheampong), Stephens
