The good and bad side of Barnet has been on show in a matter of days.

Tuesday night's impressive 1-0 win at Notts County in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy was just the response under-fire manager Paul Fairclough wanted following Saturday's 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Lincoln City.

Three days can be a long time in football.

Fairclough said he would have preferred three points than a place in the second round of the much-maligned competition for League One and League Two clubs, but the result and performance did much to lift the gloom surrounding Underhill this week.

Now Fairclough has to transfer his club's excellent cup form - the Bees knocked out current Championship leaders Cardiff City in the Carling Cup earlier this season - to the league, where they have won just two matches and slumped to one place above the drop zone.

He has targeted eight points from the next four matches. That is a big ask, but, with some fans calling for his head, the Barnet manager knows his troops must start to deliver, beginning at Darlington on Saturday.

u Barnet were handed a trip to League One side Cheltenham Town in yesterday's draw for the second round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

Notts County 0 Barnet 1

Johnstone's Paint Trophy first round

By Paul Wreyford (at Meadow Lane)

It might be the butt of jokes - especially under its latest guise - but the Johnstone's Paint Trophy brought welcome relief to manager Paul Fairclough and his troops on Tuesday night.

And make no mistake, this was a very impressive performance on the back of Saturday's mauling.

Many questions were understandably asked of the Barnet management and players after the Lincoln debacle, but they came up with the answers.

Most might call it a tin-pot trophy (or should we say paint-pot trophy), but you cannot blame Barnet for laying it on thick (that will be the last reference to paint) after the criticism they received at the weekend. They had something to prove and really meant business.

Fairclough said: "I don't want anyone to try to demean this victory because we played exceptionally well. The players responded magnificently."

Lacklustre Notts County were undone by a first-half Tresor Kandol strike, but the Bees were so much in control, the hosts only conjured up one shot in the entire second half and that was straight at Ross Flitney from distance in injury time.

From a County fan's perspective, it would have probably been more fun watching paint dry (that is definitely the last one).

Though the Magpies failed to rouse themselves, and were distinctly poor, you have to give Barnet credit for their efforts.

Their only failing was the inability to kill the match off. They had numerous chances to put the game to bed before the final whistle.

The winning goal on 17 minutes came in rather bizarre circumstances and stemmed from an unlikely source. Ismail Yakubu found himself on the edge of the area and Nicky Bailey teed him up with an inviting ball. The defender let fly, his shot crashing against the bar and dropping out to Kandol who knocked it over the line, though it appeared to be more a case of the ball hitting him than him hitting the ball.

It should have been two midway through the half. Jason Puncheon slipped in Magno Vieira with a quick free-kick, but the striker, after turning his man, saw his low shot blocked by keeper Saul Deeney.

In a rare County attack, Tcham N'Toya nipped in behind Anthony Charles to meet an Ian Ross centre, but his header was straight at Flitney.

Barnet continued to do all the pressing after the break. Vieira had a couple of chances, but he saw a header and shot sail over the bar.

The best efforts came with ten minutes to go. Dean Sinclair, finding lots of space on the right, set up Bailey, whose shot was pushed out by Deeney and, as the Magpies struggled to clear their lines, Puncheon flashed a powerful shot across the face of the goal and just wide.

Kandol then saw a volley sting the hands of Deeney after a Vieira back-heel, while Sinclair's superb run and shot was spilled in front of Vieira, but he was not able to pounce immediately and his eventual effort was blocked.

Yakubu, just back from injury, worryingly, finished the game limping, but it could not take the gloss (sorry) off a fine night for the Bees.