Easter-less Blues suffer late collapse (From Bucks Free Press)

Easter-less Blues suffer late collapse

11:36pm Tuesday 2nd October 2007 in

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Barnet 2, Wycombe 1.

TWO late goals denied a Jermaine Easter-less Wycombe a place in the top four.

The Welsh international was conspicuous by his absence for the second game running but it looked as though Wycombe would make light of his self-imposed exile when they went ahead with John Sutton's 22nd minute opener.

But they failed to turn their overwhelming first half superiority into goals and paid the price in a dismal second half display in which they never got to grips with a Barnet side who made the most of their advantage playing down the big slope to win it with their late salvo.

Just as Barnet had offered nothing in the first half, Wanderers did nothing in the second as they failed to get to grips with the Bees' long ball tactics.

Last year Barnet substitute Liam Hatch turned the game and he did exactly the same this time around as Wycombe failed to learn the lessons of their previous unhappy trip to Underhill.

Hatch volleyed in a cross from former Wanderers loanee Adam Birchall for the 77th minute leveler.

And it got even worse for Blues with just four minutes left on the clock when Jason Puncheon scored at the second attempt after keeper Frank Fielding had saved his initial effort with his feet.

It was hard to take for the 600 Wanderers fans who saw their team's march up the table stopped in its tracks by such a Jekyll and Hyde performance.

It had looked like three straight forward points when Sutton put Wanderers ahead with his first goal since signing from St Mirren in the summer.

The striker, who got his chance to start for the second match running because Easter has decided he is not in the right frame of mind to play for the club after they stopped his £300,000 move to Championship side Plymouth, took just 22 minutes to make the supporters forget their wantaway striker.

He latched onto a long goal kick from Frank Fielding before burying a bullet of a shot into Lee Harrison's net.

And while Easter sat at home contemplating his decision to leave his team-mates to it, Sutton almost bagged a second when he rose to meet a Martin Bullock corner only to be denied by Harrison in the Bees goal.

All the quality came from Wycombe with only Puncheon's 40-yard effort, which Fielding needed two attempts to gather, being offered in reply.

Wanderers might have been further clear by half time but Gary Holt got his bearings and volley wrong when Sam Stockley found him eight yards out, while Sergio Torres had a good effort saved.

Blues had to reorganise at half time with Russell Martin's dead leg getting the better of him and Tom Williams coming on.

And it was soon evident that the long-ball merchants of Barnet were going to be much more of a threat as they chased their long punts forward down the hill.

It was backs to the wall stuff at times and Birchall narrowly missed the far post after breaking clear only for play to be pulled back by the linesman's flag.

Manager Paul Lambert introduced Matt Bloomfield and Reuben Reid with Stefan Oakes and Scott McGleish the men making way in a bid to stem the tide, but it was Barnet's substitute Hatch that had most impact, just as he did last year.

He volleyed in Barnet's 77th minute equaliser, swivelling to meet Birchall's cross and the Bees comeback was completed with four minutes left when Puncheon gobbled up the rebound off Fielding to snatch a victory for the hosts that had looked so unlikely just 45 minutes earlier.