Barnet suffered their third successive league defeat after going down 2-0 to Darlington on Saturday.
The Bees made just the one change to the starting line-up from the side that won 1-0 against Notts County in the Johnstones Paint Trophy on Tuesday with Richard Graham replacing virus victim Jason Puncheon on the left of the Bees midfield.
Liam Hatch missed the game with a knee injury whilst there was no place in the starting line-up for Club Captain Ian Hendon or centre back Paul Warhurst who both joined Giuliano Grazioli on the substitutes bench, the striker returning to the squad after a recent hamstring injury.
It was Fairclough's side that started the game the brighter of the two and they had the first chance of the game in the 12th minute when Dean Sinclair won the ball ahead of Evan Horwood before squaring to Graham who saw his 20 yard drive skim just wide of Sam Russell's right hand post.
Darlington began to see more position of the ball after a quiet start and Horwood saw his 25 yard shot go wide after 23 minutes following a Neil Wainwright pass before Wainwright himself shot wide three minutes later from a similar distance.
Straight down the other end and Barnet came within inches of taking the lead when Nicky Bailey's in-swinging free kick was met at the far post by Anthony Charles and with his header back across goal, Brain Close cleared the ball for a corner kick just before either Magno Vieira or Ismail Yakubu could tap into an empty net.
Barnet were again threatening in front of goal in the 32nd minute when Yakubu got on the end of his own header before seeing his right footed volley on the angle well held by Russell at his near post.
Vieira then saw his header saved seven minutes later following a Sinclair cross from the right whilst at the other end Alun Armstrong saw his shot deflect off of his own man, Micky Cummins, and go just wide of Flitney's left hand post.
A minute before half time, though, and the Bees came within the width of a post of taking a deserved lead at the break. Richard Graham won the ball well on the Bees left before laying the ball back to Bailey who took one touch before sending his deep cross into the box where Kandol, completely unmarked, saw his header from 10 yards hit the inside of the post. The ball came back to the striker but he couldn't react quickly enough and Russell claimed the ball.
Darlington began the second half in the ascendancy, although the Bees were looking strong at the back restricting the hosts to limited chances in front of goal with the only glimpse of the target coming in the 59th minute when Joey Hutchinson saw his strike go well wide of Flitney's post.
Straight down the other end and Sinclair broke forward before seeing his fierce strike deflect behind for a corner from which Bailey headed wide.
Armstrong then headed wide for the home side in the 62nd minute before the Bees made their first change of the afternoon in the 73rd minute with Grazioli replacing Vieira in the Barnet attack.
Somewhat against the run of play, the home side were to take the lead in the 75th minute when substitute Simon Johnson put the Quakers 1-0 ahead when he tapped home a Martin Smith cross after the striker got ahead of Joe Devera on the Bees right.
Two minutes later and Darlington were to go two ahead when Wainwright broke free on the right before cutting into the box and sending his low shot across goal where the ball hit Devera and found its way into the back of the net.
Barnet continued to push forward and were unlucky not to reduce the deficit nine minutes from time when Kandol saw his header, from a Bailey cross, tipped over his crossbar by Russell in the Quakers goal before Grazioli saw his effort pushed around a post by the keeper in added time in what turned out to be the last action of the game to send the Bees back down south a disappointed side.
Attendance: 3268
Away: 125
By Jonathan Sugar
