Dean Brennan salutes ‘outstanding’ Barnet display in beating Fleetwood

Barnet boss Dean Brennan hailed his side’s “outstanding” performance after beating Fleetwood 3-1 at the Hive to move top of League Two.

Kabongo Tshimanga opened the scoring from the spot after 10 minutes but the visitors equalised before half-time when Will Davies poked home after Danny Andrew’s effort was saved by goalkeeper Matthew Cox.

The hosts scored twice around the hour mark, with Charlie Lakin and Idris Kanu scrambling their efforts home inside the box to seal victory. Barnet finished with 10 men after Nnamdi Ofoborh received a second yellow card late on.

“It was a tough game and they were flying in confidence after beating Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup,” said Brennan.

“At half-time, we spoke about getting more yards, more territory and stopping their two finest frontline players, and the players stuck to the gameplan perfectly.

“My favourite goals come from follow-ins and tap-ins, which Idris managed to do. He keeps getting into those areas. I call them ‘killer zones’ and that’s where the money is. He’s a big leader in this group.

“Our frontline got our three goals, which we didn’t have enough of last season, and that’s something we rectified this summer. Since Kabongo Tshimanga joined the club last January, we’ve been scoring a lot of goals.

“We were outstanding and our goalie stepped in. We deserved this victory. Now we are going to have a mini pre-season and be called ‘Barnet Athletics Club’.”

Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor believes the game came down to “moments” that ultimately cost them after suffering their first league defeat of the season.

“I didn’t think we dealt with the moments and it was probably a tired performance. The group have been brilliant prior to this game,” said Lawlor. “I think we’ve changed our culture and changed the way we operated.

“Barnet were really good and they put it on us, which we really didn’t deal with. But we have to be better at it next time.

“It came down to moments and moments belong to individuals. We have just got to deal with it a bit better.

“They asked a lot of questions of us and knew what was coming. I was thinking we prepared well for the game but talking about disappointment, I’m only disappointed to have lost the game.

“I am not disappointed with my group of players who have been amazing after the Sheffield United victory in the Carabao Cup in midweek. It just comes down to the result and not the performance.

“Overall in the first half, we were okay. But in the second half, we played the game into their hands. We have to put it in the back burner and the league is ultimately my focus.”