Scarborough were within three minutes of an unlikely Conference win at Underhill despite having been run ragged in the first half by Barnet.

Boro were lucky to go into the break goalless but took the lead after the interval through Steve Brodie, only for the Bees to make it 1-1 late in the game.

It was an injury to French defender Romain Faure which forced manager Neil Thompson to make a tactical switch which bought some semblance of order to a Boro side who seemed to be wilting in the oppressive heat.

Denny Ingram had laboured in midfield and moved back into defence where he brought more authority and solidity and triallist Ben Sherwood slotted into midfield.

His extra pace and better touch, combined with a revitalised performance from Gareth Stoker, gradually got Scarborough going.

Indeed, Boro played some neat and attractive football and took the lead when Brodie was on hand to pick up the pieces when Sherwood's shot was only parried by Barnet goalkeeper Lee Harrison.

This was virtually the only effort Boro managed on target in the whole game.

Certainly by this time they should have been at least three goals in arrears, but the awareness of 'keeper Andy Woods and the wastefulness of the Barnet strikers - particularly Neil Midgley - meant that Thompson's side had the opportunity to win their first game of the season.

Thompson said: "We were awful in the first half and the players knew it, but at least in the second half we passed the ball a bit better and competed and would have held on to all three points but for a wonder strike at the end."

Mark Gower was the player who sent a blistering drive into the top corner past Woods with just three minutes remaining, to bring a sense of reality to the scoreline, as a Boro win, although welcome, would have been hard on a Barnet side who dominated for long periods.

For today's game at the McCain Stadium against Margate, Thompson was looking to go one better than the three 1-1 draws that his side have produced in the Conference this season, and was hoping to have Christian Short and Jamie Burt back in contention.

Barnet: Harrison, Gledhill (Brown, 65), Heald, Sawyers, Arber, Flynn; Gower, Niven (Thoms, 63), Bell; Stevens, Midgley.

Scarborough: Woods, Atkinson, Rennison, Fickling, Faure (Sherwood, 30), Fitzsimmons; Blunt, Ingram, Stoker, Brodie (Turley, 90), Stamp.

Referee: R Booth (Mansfield).

Attendance: 1,276.

Updated: 11:35 Monday, August 27, 2001