McManus and Maynard leave Aspin delighted

Neil Aspin hailed FC Halifax Town’s win over Barnet as his side’s best victory of the season.

Goals from Scott McManus and Lois Maynard were enough to preserve Halifax’s perfect home start to the campaign, despite Curtis Weston reducing the deficit.

Halifax survived some late Barnet pressure to inflict the first defeat of the season on the Bees, whose manager Edgar Davids did not attend the game.

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Aspin said: “It was a fantastic win against a talented side who are going to finish high up in the table.

“I can’t praise my players enough because they’ve really had to work hard to get the result.

“It’s our best win of the season. Barnet have got quality and they probably came here expecting to win but it’s credit to our players for getting the three points.”

Halifax pressed Barnet from the first whistle and their hard work paid off when McManus produced a superb strike to put them ahead midway through the first-half after his free-kick fell back to him outside the area.

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England C striker Jake Hyde saw two efforts go just over for Barnet before both sides struck the bar just before half-time.

Maynard unleashed a venomous shot which crashed off the woodwork from 30 yards out and this was then matched by David Stephens’s stunning strike at the other end moments later which also rebounded off the frame of the goal.

Maynard went one better shortly after the restart, though, when he was first to Marc Roberts’s nod down from McManus’s free-kick to smash the ball home.

Barnet responded and produced an outstanding goal when Weston’s thunderous shot flew past Matt Glennon from 25 yards.

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Both sides then hit the woodwork again in a thrilling last few minutes as Barnet goalkeeper Graham Stack fumbled the ball onto the bar from Roberts’s header before Keanu Marsh-Brown’s cross hit the post and somehow evaded two Barnet attackers.

FC Halifax Town: Glennon, Toulson, Roberts, Ainge, Lowe, Smith (McReady 78), Pearson, Maynard, McManus, Gardner (Marshall 66), Carver (Johnson 60). Unused substitutes: Senior, Williams.

Barnet: Stack, Yiadom, Johnson, Weston, Acheampong (Crawford 57), Marsh-Brown, Byrne, Hyde, Gambin (Vilhete 79), Casabella (Villa 57), Stephens. Unused substitutes: Jupp, Brown.

Referee: C Kavanagh.

Man of the match: Marc Roberts.