Barnet 1 - Swindon Town 1 (From Swindon Advertiser)

Barnet 1 - Swindon Town 1

7:10am Wednesday 23rd January 2008 in Sport By Andy Cryer

TOWN's ineptitude from the penalty spot may have been the decisive factor at Underhill last night but, had they made more of a huge share of possession, their nerve from 12 yards would never have needed to have been tested.

Four missed spot kicks out of four ensured boss Maurice Malpas endured a miserable first taste of the magic' of the FA Cup - but he must be wondering how on earth his side are not looking forward to a tasty fourth round local derby against Bristol Rovers.

When Billy Paynter broke his goal-drought with a cool 41st minute drive no-one could have forseen the drama that was to follow as Town looked likely to build on their first half dominance and kill the tie.

But a resurgent Barnet emerged after the break, with winger Jason Puncheon a constant threat, and Paynter's 53rd minute own goal suddenly saw Town hanging on to their FA Cup lives.

Town's biggest crime of the evening was failing to take advantage of Michael Leary's sending off with just over 15 minutes remaining for violent conduct, as that final bit of cleverness was lacking in the final third.

The shoot-out itself was an affair all Town players would like to forget, with Paynter, Hasney Aljofree and Christian Roberts all missing the target and Miguel Comminges' weak strike being easily saved by goalkeeper Rob Beckwith.

Town's preparations for the trip to Underhill were hit when Craig Easton was forced to pull out with a calf strain, giving Michael Pook a rare start in midfield.

But the change looked to have had little effect with the visitors starting brightly and left winger Sofi Zaaboub in sparkling form, going down the infamous slope.

The Frenchman can often infuriate fans with his erratic final ball but last night everything he touched in the first 45 minutes seemed to work as he terrorised his lower league opponents.

His cross was headed wide by Paynter on 14 minutes, while just a minute later he had a shot-cum-cross that was cleared off the line by Ismail Yakubu.

While never in top gear, and often wasteful with an abundance of possession, Town looked to have the better of their opponents and continuously created the better chances.

Blair Sturrock should have opened the scoring on 19 minutes, after more good Zaaboub approach play, but his strike wide from an angle would later prove to be very costly.

At the other end, Puncheon saw an audacious volley from 40 yards clear the bar but in the main it was all one-way traffic without that final spark of imagination.

The deserved opener came on 41 minutes and was one of the moves of the match as Zaaboub continued to torment his opponents.

The winger played a clever ball through to Paynter and the striker showed none of his lack of confidence in front of goal to fire home from eight yards.

Many expected a procession after the break but it was never to be as Town seemed to again freeze in a winning position and hand the initiative back to their unfancied hosts.

Cliff Akurang should have levelled just a minute after the restart but Town failed to heed the warning and were punished just a few minutes later.

Puncheon was again given time down the right and his low cross was put into his own net by Paynter, in the middle of a crowded penalty box.

Stung into action, Town hit back but were unable to create any clear-cut chances as Barnet dug in.

What should have been the turning point came on 73 minutes when Michael Leary was dismissed for violent conduct, after a heavy tackle on the flying Zaaboub.

Zaaboub was carried off and taken to hospital for x-rays but Town failed to make the most of their numerical advantage.

Roberts, Barry Corr and Jamie Vincent all went close late on but as penalties loomed nearer, a winning goal became increasingly unlikely.

Jerel Ifil, the sole survivor from Town's last shoot-out heartbreak, a play-off semi-final exit to Brighton, will know at least this time his side have a chance to put the hurt behind them and build a promotion winning campaign.

Barnet rightly enjoyed their moment of fame but hopefully by the end of the campaign a miserable night in Underhill will be forgotten by all at the County Ground.