Barnet 4 Gravesend 1

GRAVESEND manager Andy Ford watched disappointed as his side made individual errors and had influential defender Lee Shearer left with a suspected broken nose following an ugly challenge that went unpunished.

For half an hour Fleet were containing the Conference leaders on Saturday, although both sides struggled on the slippery Underhill pitch.

The visitors had the best early chances with Jefferson Louis looking the most likely, but as soon as Shearer left the field Barnet took control. Shearer was left floored after going up for a header with Liam Hatch.

Ford said: “There’s no question about it. It was an elbow. You see the state of the lad’s face. It was a sending off in my opinion. It could be broken, but there’s a cut and his eyes have blown up.”

With Jay Saunders moving to the centre of the Fleet defence, the home side never allowed them time to settle. League top-scorer Giuliano Grazioli crashed a volley onto the crossbar, before Barnet took the lead through former Fleet striker Hatch.

Charlie Mitten, replacing Paul Wilkerson in the starting line-up, was looking far from convincing between the sticks and it was his fumble that gifted Grazioli his eighth goal of the season.

Barnet made it three in a match-winning 15-minute spell when Mitten’s attempted punch fell at the feet of Hatch a minute into injury time.

The second-half saw a spirited start from Ford’s side but it was Barnet who extended their lead through Dean Sinclair.

It was a game for players scoring against their former clubs as Manny Omoyinmi came off the bench to get a deserved consolation for Gravesend.

Fleet’s afternoon got even worse when defender Chris Moore received a second yellow card after bringing down substitute Lee Roache.

Ford now faces a race against time to sign a centre-back on loan before tomorrow night’s home clash with Dagenham & Redbridge.