Dean Brennan admits Barnet not ‘clinical’ enough in loss to Swindon
The defeat also brought an end to Barnet’s 18-game unbeaten run in League Two, which began last season.
Barnet boss Dean Brennan admitted his side were not “clinical” enough as they suffered their first League Two defeat of the season, losing 3-1 at home to Swindon.
The defeat also brought an end to Barnet’s 18-game unbeaten run in League Two, which began last season.
Mitch Clark opened the scoring with a driving run into the box before curling into the bottom corner.
Aaron Drinan doubled the visitors’ lead in the 35th minute, poking home Matty Virtue’s low cross, before capitalising on Barnet’s defensive sloppiness two minutes later to claim his second.
Kabongo Tshimanga pulled one back from close range late on, but the Bees could not complete a comeback.
“We missed a lot of chances. We were caught on the counter-attack. We have to understand that we can lose the next three games, as I know how difficult this business is,” said Brennan.
“Aaron Drinan was a killer with both finishes and they were clinical. We were sloppy and didn’t have enough quality, especially when we were a goal down. We had five amazing chances to level it, but it didn’t happen.
“Huge credit to their keeper Connor Ripley, who was outstanding. The game was about both boxes and we didn’t do well enough.
“If you start thinking you’ve made it, you’re going to get beat. Ian Holloway knows what he’s doing and they caught us on the counter-attack.
“We’re going to need some backing as we are one of the smallest clubs in this division. At the end of the day, we kept going and gave our all.”
Swindon boss Ian Holloway was delighted with his side’s performance.
The Robins ended a seven-game run without a league victory with the result.
“Things have been going against us for a few weeks, but we kept going and believing. The lads did that against a really good team,” said Holloway.
“They know they could do it, but it’s just about producing it on the pitch. My goalie Connor Ripley making those saves was vital.
“Mitch Clark was on the right-hand side, but I don’t know how he ended up on the left-hand side. He managed to score and gave us that impetus for the rest of the night.
“I wondered whether my team would be able to deal with Barnet’s pace. They couldn’t deal with us because we were so electric. Barnet took over in the second half, but we managed to hold on.
“Aaron Drinan has been on top form since he’s been with us and is unplayable sometimes when we put the ball in the right areas. I wanted everyone to be involved and be part of this team.”