National League: Whites can peg fast-starting Bees back

NON-LEAGUE experts Kiss The Badge (@TheKissTheBadge) head to The Hive on Tuesday night for a pair of National League punts as Barnet host Dover.

Barnet v Dover | Tuesday 13th August 2019, 19:45

Seeing off Notts County away on Saturday evening, our recommendation for Barnet to win at Meadow Lane at 27/10 came good. That’s now two Barnet-related bets which have banked for us in the space of a week and so it would be rude not to try to make it a hat-trick of pay-outs when the Bees take on Dover on Tuesday night.

Coming up against a Dover side in sixth – just one point and three places off Barnet, both sides will be aiming for maximum points at The Hive.

The Bees have scored in the first-half in two of their opening three games – the time they failed to net in the opening 45 minutes was at home to Yeovil on the opening day. However, that was partly down to energetic winger Ephron Mason-Clark not starting; since the England C international has been selected from the off, the Londoners have looked more dangerous.

Winning against Sutton come half-time last Tuesday at Gander Green Lane, the Bees were unlucky to be level at the break on Saturday after Enzio Boldewijn’s world-class strike put County in front. Had it not been for that once-a-season type of goal, Barnet would have likely been ahead at the interval having dominated much of the proceedings.

Mixed into this, Dover last time out were down 1-0 at the break against Wrexham, whilst they had done well to draw level against Dagenham just before half-time. Consequently, conceding in the first-half twice in three matches suggests Andy Hessenthaler’s team can be got at.

The Bees will be buzzing following their hard fought victory away in Nottinghamshire and should look to maintain that high-tempo style of football once the ref gets things underway. Therefore, 7/4 on Barnet to be winning at half-time from BetVictor looks an interesting punt.

Dover’s resilience

However, come the final whistle, we’re going against common wisdom and predicting this match to finish as a draw. Dover have fallen behind in all three of their matches so far, yet they have shown mental resilience each time to get back into each encounter.

Against Chesterfield, the Whites netted twice in the last 15 minutes to come away with a victory, whilst on Saturday they turned the game of its head against Wrexham to win 2-1, with both goals again coming very late on against 10 men. Dover also equalised against Dagenham after failing behind, meaning they have drawn level in all three matches, showcasing their ability to remain mentally strong.

Barnet’s defence have been fairly rock solid this campaign, only leaking twice, and as mentioned, one was an unreal long-range strike. So will Dover be able to sting the Bees if they fall behind? We think they can.

Ricardo Santos and Callum Reynolds have been giants at the back thus far but they haven’t faced a frontline like Dover’s. Playing with three up top on Saturday, Steven Rigg, Inih Effiong and Alfie Pavey are all over 6ft and will overload the box. Yeovil and Sutton both played with a solitary striker, whilst County had Enzo Boldewijn supporting Nathan Tyson- so Dover’s three-pronged attack will be a new test for Darren Currie’s defence.

Notts showed how to stretch the Bees and flood the box with crosses, and it is this tactic which will undo the Londoners. Pavey, who has scored three headed goals already, will be aiming to punish his old side and add to his team’s record of four headed finishes this term.

So come 90 minutes, if Dover do indeed manage to put balls in the box, we can see this one finishing in a stalemate as the visitors draw level in the second-half. BetVictor are offering 9/4 for this one to end in the teams taking a point each.

Expect action, but not many goals

Barnet’s back four will be under the cosh through the aerial bombardments but they won’t make too many mistakes. Apart from Boldewijn’s stunning opener, County rarely worked Scott Loach in goal as his teammates kept their shape well.

The Bees look strong at the back but their attacking prowess is still lacking. Prior to their last outing, Simeon Akinola’s two penalty strikes were their only goals to date. Saturday saw Barnet score twice for the first time this season, but both were avoidable from a Notts County perspective.

Mitch Rose, who is 5ft 8, was man-marking Santos, who stands at a whooping 6ft 5. It was the defender’s header back into the box which allowed Harry Taylor to find Callum Reynolds for the opener. Moreover, sloppy defending at the back meant Akinola was able to turn his marker for their second of the match, something which he won’t likely be able to do against Will De Haviliand and Kevin Lokko, or Scott Doe if he recovers in time for this match.

Dover’s games have all involved three goals thus far but this match might buck the trend, so if you want to go for what seems like a safer bet considering Barnet’s defensive stability, Under 2.5 Goals is priced at 7/10 with BetVictor.