For 75 minutes Rovers were ahead in this game and could have had the game wrapped up by half time as they looked to record a 12th successive home win in the league.
However, a strong Barnet side took advantage of a side that tired in the latter stages of the match and didn’t have the advantage that fresh legs from the bench might have given them.
Tommy Leigh, playing his first league game since a three match ban for a red card, received his second card of the same colour this season and will now miss another four games and the fact that chances are being created, but not taken, must be a concern for the management team.
Steve Evans made five changes from his last league starting XI, bringing in Ben Purrington, Keenan Gough, Shaq Forde, Tommy Leigh and Fabrizio Cavegn at the expense of Jack Sparkes, Alfie Kilgour, Reiss Russell-Denny, Richie Smallwood and Bobby Kamwa.
He then saw his side take a fourth minute lead through skipper for the day Ellis Harrison, who collected a poor clearance from the Barnet defence after Forde’s low cross into the box and fired past former Rovers custodian Matt Cox.
Rovers went on to dominate first half proceedings but were unable to add further goals through a combination of poor finishing and good defending by the visitors. One clearance from Cisin Gallagher was particularly crucial for them while, at the other end, the only meaningful attempt on Brad Young’s goal was a tame header from Danny Collinge which the keeper safely gathered.
Five minutes into the second half Rovers should have scored again when Leigh’s cross was met by Purrington who headed the ball back to him but he dragged his shot wide from close range. Cavegn, who had fired a good chance over the bar in the opening 45 minutes, then saw one attempt blocked before he hit another effort wide of goal.
Forde then saw Cox save his close range effort before Barnet equalised after Kabongo Tshimanga took advantage of some poor defending by Ciaran Kelly and crossed from the left where Adam Senior tapped the ball into the net from close range.
Leigh then lunged in on Charlie Lakin and was shown a red card and received an ear bashing from teammate Kofi Balmer on his lonely trudge back to the dressing room. The ten men were made to pay just moments later when Zac Williams who unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the area that flew into the roof of the net.
With Rovers pushing men forward as they went in search of an equaliser, the inevitable happened; they were caught on the break and it was left to Tshimanga to score a third goal for the visitors.
WHAT WAS SAID
‘Listen, for 79 minutes, we’ve made what many managers and people in the game have told me is the best team in the league, and they are a very good team. But they’ve had a drubbing today for 79 minutes; we scored a goal. We missed five or six golden chances to get a second. The Ciarán Kelly mistake. He’s an honest lad, but it’s a huge mistake. It gets them in the game, and it doesn’t excuse Tommy Leigh. It’s a clear red card every day of the week. I couldn’t see it from the far side, but I’ve just looked at it back. It’s a straight red.
‘We should have been four or five up at one stage. That’s not an exaggeration of the chances we’ve got. I think we got four one on ones with their goalkeeper, and we didn’t score a goal in the second half, maybe from angles and different things, but we have to hit the target, score a goal, and we didn’t do that.
‘I felt sorry for the players. In fact, one of the owners has just come in and said the same thing. They feel for us; we need to learn from it. We need to learn from the hurt we’ll feel tonight, as the supporters will. I’m sure the Gasheads will think for 80 minutes; they’ve probably seen us produce, in my opinion, the best performance of the season.’ Rovers Manager Steve Evans
‘It’s a tough one to take today. It’s a frustrating one because we felt like we were on top for so long in the game, and we could have gone on to get the second, the third, and maybe even a fourth. But then, one lapse of concentration, we gift them a goal and then a red card. Then, all momentum has just gone from them, but it’s a hard one to take, but we’ve got to just look forward.
‘Obviously now it’s hard, everyone’s dejected, everyone is upset, but I feel like if they’re top of the league and we went toe to toe against them, even more, we dominated in large spells. So, I think we fancy our chances this season, and if we can perform like that against good teams, we’ve given ourselves a platform.
‘We were managing the counter-attacks, and we were creating our own chances, and then in the last ten, we just capitulated with all the events. So, we’ve got to learn from this and next game, we’ve got to try and put it right. We’re just going to have to keep doing what we’re doing, and if we perform like this for the remainder of the games, I think we will definitely be alright.’ Rovers midfielder Clinton Mola
‘It was a great game. Both sides added to what was a game between two teams looking to get promoted, trying to get to the next division and Steve’s teams are always well coached and very physical.
‘The fans are intimidating here and I thought they deserved the lead after 20 minutes, until we changed shape, and once we did that we got a foothold in the game. The great thing about us is the character we showed, extreme character, and sometimes these are the best ways to win.
‘It looked like the game could have gone either way at 1-1, they had a couple of chances. Our team showed togetherness, willingness to keep working for each other and Zac Williams’ goal was worthy of winning any match.’ Barnet Boss Dean Brennan
