Barnet head coach Dean Brennan insisted he was proud of the performance of his players despite them going down 4-2 at National League leaders Chesterfield on Saturday.

The Bees dominated in the early stages of the match and had enjoyed most of the territory at half-time, with the scoreline still blank.

However, goals from Armando Dobra and Will Grigg put the hosts firmly in the driving seat by the hour mark, with Michael Jacobs and Joe Quigley also on target, before Nicke Kabamba and Gary Hooper replied in stoppage time.

“I’m proud of our performance. I thought we were outstanding in the first half and we really dominated,” said the Barnet boss when asked about the performance on the day.

"The opportunities we had were just gilt-edged. We had five unbelievable opportunities to score in the first half and never took any.

“Good teams, that’s what Chesterfield do. They came out in the second half and locked on to us.

"Tactically, they tweaked things and pressed us a little bit higher and three of their goals have come from our goal kicks,” he said, speaking of the threat the home side posed.

“We’ve got to learn. They are a top side. What good teams do is when they get one they smell blood. Then they come for two, three and four and they did that.”

Despite the early setback in the second half, Brennan was pleased with the response his side showed in being able to withstand the hold their opponents had on the game.

“What I was proud of most was the character we showed to keep going," he said.

"We got a couple of goals back at the end. They’re a top side with a top manager [Paul Cook], so it’s their day. We lick our wounds and move on to the next game.

“The message was clear at half-time. We knew they’d come after us and press us. We just had to stay composed and show composure in our defensive line, but our distribution from our back line wasn’t good enough.”

The Bees, now five points off top spot having played one game more than Chesterfield, face Gateshead at the Hive on Saturday.

And they also play host to Oldham Athletic on Wednesday (8pm), as Brennan and his side look to make up the ground lost at the top of the table.

*Due to their FA Cup second-round tie at Newport County on December 2, Barnet's National League game with Dagenham & Redbridge will now take place on Tuesday, December 12 (7.45pm).