In-form Purser and Strevens find target again

5:39pm Wednesday 14th November 2001

Barnet 3 Woking 0

Nationwide Conference

Wayne Purser and Ben Strevens, hat-trick stars in recent Barnet wins, continued their rich vein of scoring form with magnificent goals in the Bees' comfortable victory over Woking on Saturday.

But there might have been a different story to relate if Greg Heald had been sent off for a professional foul on Woking's Chris Sharpling in the 42nd minute.

With Barnet ahead through Purser's early goal, Sharpling darted behind Heald and had only keeper Lee Harrison to beat when he was pulled back by the Bees captain just outside the penalty area.

Anxious seconds followed for Heald before the referee showed him just a yellow card.

Barnet manager John Still said after the game: “If I'd been a Woking player I would probably have felt disappointed that it wasn't a red card."

With Barnet leading 2-0 after 79 minutes, Woking's Scott Steele got his marching orders for a dangerous challenge on Harrison. Barnet's players were incensed and a brief fracas followed.

“He should have got six months for that," exclaimed Still.

Purser set Barnet on the way with a well-taken ninth-minute goal. From deep in his own half, Stuart Niven hit a superb long ball for dashing Purser to shoot between the legs of keeper Tony Tucker.

Mark Gower was unlucky not to stretch the lead with a powerful shot. Harrison kept out Sharpling's close-range effort with his legs, before Mark Arber stretched Barnet's lead in the 56th minute, firing home through a crowd following Gower's corner.

Strevens added Barnet's third goal after 87 minutes, running on to Lee Flynn's through ball and rifling the ball into the top of the net.

BARNET: Harrison, Gledhill, Heald, Arber, Flynn, Gower (Toms, 84), Bell, Niven, Sawyers, (Midgley, 84), Strevens, Purser. Attendance: 1,822. Man of the match: Purser

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