An excellent home display delighted head coach Dean Brennan as Barnet boosted their chances of a second-place finish in the National League with a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Oxford City on Easter Monday.

Gatlin O’Donkor’s fifth goal for the club on the stroke of half-time and a late double from top scorer Nicke Kabamba secured the points for the Bees at The Hive, before Harry Greenslade’s consolation gave the visitors something to cheer about.

“It was tricky. They made it difficult, and they sat in. We had so many chances and clear penalties that weren’t given,” said Brennan, clearly frustrated by the referee’s performance.

“Right on half-time, they caught us on the break, and we managed to go up the other end and score with a great goal by Gat.

"It’s been a fantastic weekend for us, and it was important we picked up four points over Easter, and we managed to do it - it was our target.”

Bees had drawn 2-2 at Solihull Moors on Good Friday and asked whether focus switches to the play-offs now or stays game by game, Brennan explained how he will manage the run-in.

“I think our points target will help us get second. We’re in pole position to do that and I’m confident we can do it as well,” he added, with Bees four points clear of Bromley.

“We do take things one game at a time and respect the opposition. We managed to rotate today, which was important, but the key to anything in life is that you can only go one day at a time, especially in this business.”

Brennan has often called for his squad to maximise their abilities when given the opportunity to play this season, saying the return of key players in recent weeks has lifted spirits around the camp.

“They’re key players for us. They’re senior players. [Dale] Gorman’s our club captain, and both Danny [Collinge] and Nicke Kabamba could be club captain,” he told the club website.

“They’re great personalities in the dressing room. You see today, Gorman, leader. Danny makes us so much stronger defensively. Nicke is getting another goal again. He scored the other day against Solihull - what a goal that was! I thought it was Didier Drogba, so I’ve been calling Drogba the last couple of days!” he joked.

The Bees have begun to experiment with a variety of systems in recent weeks in preparation for the play-offs, and Brennan reflected on his decision to switch things up midway through the second half.

“We changed the system. We went to three centre-backs from a 4-3-3 into a three,” he said. “I thought [Zak] Brunt was outstanding when he came on. He gave us a touch of class in his play.

“We just got hold of the game as they changed their system too. Their striker was forced off, and they brought on more midfield players. They were hurting us with a lot of second balls, so for us to change the system like we did, it’s very strong and shows how tactically adaptable the players are.”

The Bees have four games left of the regular season, with a trip to Maidenhead United on Saturday followed by a key clash with Bromley at The Hive on Tuesday.