Barnet 1 Bristol Rovers 1 . . .

A cracking Jason Puncheon free-kick earned Barnet a point and extended their unbeaten run to four games.

But it should have been three points and a fourth consecutive win.

The Bees squandered a host of excellent second-half chances, as the ten-man Pirates (Aaron Lescott was sent off early in the second half) held on for the draw.

"We had enough chances to have won two or three games of football," Barnet manager Paul Fairclough groaned.

The Bees took their time to wake up following a slow start, but they dominated the second period, after Puncheon had brought them level in first-half stoppage time.

He curled the ball into the top corner to leave Steve Phillips with no chance.

That cancelled out a 13th-minute Rovers opener, Richard Walker heading home a whipped-in Stuart Campbell free-kick via the underside of the bar.

The Pirates had chances to extend their lead. Lewis Haldane dragged a shot across the face of goal with just Ross Flitney to beat, while Craig Disley was denied by the home keeper in a one-on-one situation, before Barnet finally roused themselves in the final ten minutes of the half.

The Bees almost struck through Liam Hatch, but his hooked volley into the ground was superbly turned away by Phillips. Adam Birchall then clipped the ball inches wide after being put through by Dean Sinclair.

But the equaliser was not long in coming and it gave the hosts the perfect base from which to build on in the second period.

And, when Lescott was red-carded for a scything challenge on Sinclair minutes after the break, Rovers were always going to be up against it.

Barnet created chance after chance, but could not find a way past the excellent Phillips.

Birchall was guilty of the miss of the day, when he failed to turn home a Puncheon centre from three yards, Phillips somehow blocking his effort.

The striker was again denied by Phillips in a one-on-one situation with 20 minutes to go.

Nicky Bailey also saw a glancing header from a Puncheon free-kick saved, while sub Oliver Allen had a long-range effort pushed over by the keeper, the ball bouncing up awkwardly off a divert.

Liam Hatch headed over when he should have buried the ball and Simon King had a hooked effort headed off the line in the closing stages, but the tiring Pirates held on for the point.

BARNET (4-4-2): Flitney; Ioannou, Devera, King, Nicolau; Cogan, Sinclair, Bailey, Puncheon; Birchall, Hatch. Subs not used: Harrison, Graham, Grazioli, Vieira.

Attendance: 2,541.