AFC Fylde’s seven-game Vanarama National League unbeaten run ended with a 4-2 defeat by Barnet at Mill Farm on Saturday afternoon.
Head Coach Chris Beech made one change from Tuesday’s emphatic win Aldershot Town, as Danny Whitehead replaced Danny Ormerod.
In an entertaining first-half, Nick Haughton’s double, either side of goals from Gatlin O’Donkor and Harry Pritchard.
Reece Hall-Johnson and Callum Stead added to the scoreline for Barnet in the second-half to earn three points.
The Coasters led on eight minutes after referee Jamie O’Connor awarded a penalty when Haughton was dragged down in the box.
Haughton stepped-up from 12-yards to dispatch his kick into the bottom right-corner past Josh Keeley.
There was a nervy moment for Fylde minutes later, when Bees’ goalkeeper Keeley sent a long punt up field, with Ethan Mitchell superbly removing the danger and heading back to his own goalkeeper Theo Richardson whilst under pressure.
Barnet levelled with 19 minutes played after O’Donkor beat Sam Graham for pace as he went through one-on-one with Richardson before lifting the ball over the Coasters’ stopper.
Midway through the half, Haughton threatened when he weaved beyond three orange and black shirts with a fine solo run before striking left-footed narrowly over Keeley’s crossbar.
On 27 minutes, Dean Brennan’s visitors led when Pritchard struck left-footed on the left-edge of the box, with the strike going under Richardson at his near post.
Pushing to level, Jon Ustabasi’s effort at the back-post from a well-worked move was cleared for a corner.
On the half-hour, from the resulting set-piece, Haughton played a neat one-two with Kay and whipped the ball in from a tight angle that found its way past Keeley, as Fylde levelled.
Connor Barrett drove down the right, holding off challenges to cross into the box, which Barnet defender Adam Thompson cleared.
Keeley was then forced to hold Graham’s header from Ustabasi’s cross.
Towards half-time, Ustabasi saw a shot with the outside of his boot caught by Keeley, prior to Kay cutting inside from the right to arrow powerfully at goal, charged down by Ben Coker.
Half-Time: AFC Fylde 2-2 Barnet
Following on from the restart, efforts from Kay and Ustabasi went off target, as Fylde started positively.
Barnet created their first opportunity of the half after Pritchard’s cross found O’Donker in the box, however his side-footed shot crept just wide of the bottom left-post.
Richardson then had to keep out Luke Freeman’s shot across the turf in the box, with a combination of captain Harry Davis and Graham also thwarting Pritchard’s close-range header.
The men from North London edged back in front on the hour. Freeman’s cross from the right was headed past Richardson by Hall-Johnson.
Beech made a double substitution on 64 minutes, bringing on Ashley Hunter and Ormerod on for Kay and Dan Adshead.
Good build-up play, which started from Max Conway’s pass to Barrett, who crossed into the box for Haughton nearly brought the equaliser, but the Coasters’ number 10 hit his low first-time effort past the base of Keeley’s bottom right-post.
Barnet’s fourth of the game came through Stead in the 74th minute, who won possession from Richardson on the right side of the box to roll the ball into an empty net.
Bryce Hossanah was then introduced by Beech in place of Barrett, with Fylde going close through Mitchell’s strike thumping off the left-post and Hunter’s curled attempt was cleared off the line by Pritchard.
Late on, after Danny Whitehead was fouled, Haughton’s free-kick from 25-yards bent over the crossbar, as the Coasters were defeated at home.
AFC Fylde: Richardson, Barrett (Hossanah 79), Davis ©, Graham, Mitchell, Conway, Adshead (Ormerod 64), Whitehead, Kay (Hunter 64), Ustabasi, Haughton
Subs not used: Walker, Westley
