Liam Hatch's first goal of the season rewarded a hard working Barnet side with a vital three points against Mansfield Town at Underhill on Easter Monday.

Bees Manager Paul Fairclough made four changes to the starting eleven following the 2-0 defeat to Oxford United on Saturday.

Simon King returned to the side at left back in place of Simon Clist, whilst Paolo Vernazza dropped to the bench with Dean Sinclair earning a recall to the starting line-up. Meanwhile, Hatch returned up front with Ben Strevens making way.

The Bees started brightly and immediately put The Stags on the back foot with some forceful challenges and high tempo football.

It was not long before Fairclough's side created their first chance on goal when Barry Fuller played a cute pass forward to Tresor Kandol. He made strides down the Bees left before cutting the ball back to Sinclair but he could only drag his left footed effort wide of Kevin Pressmans's left hand post.

Just three minutes later, though, and Barnet were to get the game's first goal courtesy of Hatch.

A fine corner by Nicky Bailey from the right was met by the head of Hatch at the back post, the ball cannoned off of the head of Alex Baptiste and fell again nicely for Hatch who made no mistake from 10 yards with a fine strike into the bottom right hand corner.

It was a deserved lead for the Bees who had started the game brightly.

To their credit, Mansfield began to play some nice football but were struggling to make the clinical pass in the final third.

In the 29^th minute the Bees nearly extended their lead and it was that man Hatch again who nearly got his second of the game when his header from a Bailey corner was hacked away by John Olav Hjelde with the ball seemingly destined for the bottom corner.

Two minutes later and Hatch came close again when his header, this time from a Hendon cross, was cleared for a corner by Alex Baptiste with keeper Pressman again looking beaten.

Hatch then had his third effort to extend the lead in the 33^rd minute but his header from a Bailey cross flew just wide.

It was not until the 34^th minute before Mansfield had their first effort of the game in bizarre circumstances. Adam Rundle played an innocuous ball forward and the ball bounced into the area. Flitney came rushing out of his goal but Richard Barker got there first but luckily for Barnet Andy Hessenthaler beat Stephen Dawson to the ball and cleared from inside his own six yard box.

Coke then had his free kick held easily by Flitney before Hatch had a goal disallowed after he was adjudged to have handled the ball away from keeper Pressman .

The second period began in the same high tempo fashion that the first did and again it was the Bees who were looking the more threatening in the final third when a deep Bailey free kick from the left was met by the head of Hatch who headed over from an acute angle in the 50^th minute.

Just a minute later though and Mansfield were reduced to ten men when Giles Coke received his second yellow card of the game. A challenge by Barry Fuller incensed the Mansfield midfielder and he retaliated and both players were cautioned with Coke receiving his second booking and an early shower.

The impact of playing with ten men was almost instant for the Stags when they nearly fell further behind when Sinclair challenged Pressman following a Bailey cross and the ball fell to Kandol but his effort, with the ball bouncing high, could only be directed over the crossbar.

Mansfield were then dealt a further blow when Danny Reet, who had only been on the pitch for ten minutes, was shown a straight red card following a challenge on Bailey.

Two minutes later though and the unpredicatable nearly happened when a cross by Gus Uhlenbeek was misjudged at the front post by Flitney but luckily Charles was there to head the ball away for a corner kick.