Barnet boss Peter Beadle says Notts County are head and shoulders above what they have played so far this season but praised his team for giving the Magpies a scare.
The Magpies threatened to run riot in the first half as they raced into a 3-0 lead inside 25 minutes with Callum Roberts, Kyle Wootton and Enzio Boldewijn all on the scoresheet.
But two goals from JJ Hooper made it 3-2 which left Neal Ardley’s side facing a nervy spell late in the second half until Michael Doyle made the game safe in stoppage time.
Beadle admitted his side had given themselves too much to do as he said Notts were the best side they have tackled so far
“I think some of them (the players) were still on the bus in the first 15 minutes,” he said.
“It was always going to be tough here, we knew that.
“Twenty minutes in and one or two of the players realised how tough it was going to be.
“We felt that we didn’t apply ourselves properly again.
“We had the same conversation in the dressing room as we did last Saturday. We can’t be a Jekyll and Hyde team.
“We cannot give teams a headstart and do what we did to get back into the game.
“But for 55 minutes we were very competitive against them.
“It showed a lot of promise to our boys that they tried to keep it in the corner at 3-2 up because they were hanging on.
“It’s a step forward. But they are a fantastic team and head and shoulders above what we’ve played so far.
“They’re well coached, but for long periods we matched them.”
