Whether Golders Green were suffering from an attack of nerves, or whether the blow of a score against them in the first minute, the fact remains that they were all to pieces on the Barnet ground on Saturday, and neither the score of 4-1 against them, nor their general performance bode well for tomorrow's cup-tie when Barnet will be entertained at Claremont Road.

Barlow was about the only man in the Golders Green team who did his work really well - for the adverse score was in no way attributed to him; he saved Golders Green from a heavier defeat. The whole team allowed themselves to be worried by Barnet. There was some cause, for Barnet were a fast and clever combination, quite superior in their play on Saturday, but the visitors should have remembered that they were a team and not a set of individuals. Even the heavy ground should not have affected them so much more than the home side.

Caswell and W. Boston let through too much work for the best of goalkeepers, and Graves found his match in the nippy Barnet forwards, who were masters of ball control, with Kelleher - a born footballer - always dangerous. Brown did a lot of foraging and scheming, and there were some pretty displays between him and F. Boston, , but McCarthy, Gerrans and Wheeler never lost sight of dangerous wing movements, whereas Golders Green frequently left the home wingers an easy path. Coppola, at centre-forward, was a trier, but not a successful one, and on the right wing Breagan was kept well tied up by the Barnet defence, though he managed to score Golders Green's only goal.

Barnet made two changes from the advertised team. J. Richards turned out at left-half and released Aylott; while N. Davey appeared on the left wing in place of L.C. Finch, who was resting.

Graves and Brown were not on the field at the kick-off, which saw Golders Green playing with the wind in their favour. At once MacFARLANE fairly danced through the defence and scored with an easy shot well up in the net. Golders Green replied with an attack on the left wing, which led to a free-kick taken by Bucci, who reached the top of the goal, but Kimber punched the ball down and Brown, who had followed up, was unsuccessful with his shot. It would be fairly true to say this was the nearest Golders Green came to scoring until Breagan's success close on half-time. Ward and Coppola reached Kimber in the early stages, but they were shots easily dealt with, and Brown's shots were wide of the mark. F. Boston, kept at a respectable distance most of the time, succeeded in putting across some good centres, but Coppola and Long could make nothing of them, and when Boston tried his own finishing, the ball generally flashed across a foot in front of the goalmouth.

At the other end there was much passing back to Barlow to clear - not necessarily bad tactics, but Caswell showed bad judgment in this move once or twice and Barlow had difficulty in clearing.

F. Boston was shaken up in a collision with Gerrans, when he might have finished a movement started by Bucci. Brown took the ball up from him, but was tackled at once by McCarthy and could not get his shot round.

Golders Green were weak at passing, failing lamentably to find their men, while the Barnet halves were distributing the ball well and the team were very quick on the getaway. Continual danger came from both wings, but MacFarlane and Kelleher were remarkably nimble in working through in the centre, and W. Boston was the only one who could clear from Kelleher.

After a couple of quick raids by Golders Green, in which Coppola and Boston shot without success, Barnet were awarded a penalty against W. Boston for handling. Wheeler took the kick and struck the upright.

Barnet's second goal came, after half an hou's play, from KELLEHER, who shot through after a breakaway by Davey. Kelleher had been left unmarked and grabbed a golden opportunity.

At the other end Long took up a pass from Graves, drew the defence and passed out to Boston, who had a clear run to goal, but he missed the mark by inches. Shortly afterwards Boston reached Kimber from a free-kick, but the goalkeeper was ready.

Then McCarthy handled, giving Golders Green a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area. F. Boston sent in a terrific drive, but the goal was blocked.

Barnet were showing a perfect understanding, and it came as no surprise when JORDAN increased their lead to three, finding the net with a beautiful drive after W. Boston had partially cleared from Kelleher.

Brown was pushing the ball forward well, but McCarthy was too good at breaking up the Golders Green attacks. At length, however, BREAGAN found an opening during a scramble in front of the Barnet goal and got in a surprise shot which beat Kimber completely, scoring Golders Green's one and only goal. Half-time came with Golders Green attacking, but opportunities were lost by a lack of anticipation.

After the interval a chance came to Breagan, but he was not quite quick enough to convert a pass from Coppola. The Barnet left wing came into action again, and W. Boston had to pass back to Barlow after Graves had been beaten by Macfarlane.

Fresh hope came to Golders Green in a movemeny started by Bucci, but when Brown centred to Long, who headed neatly to the goal, Kimber punched out and Hawekins cleared the ball up the field. W. Boston sent it back again and F. Boston got way well, but struck the side of the net.

KELLEHER gave Barnet their fourth and last goal, taking a forward pass from Gerrans, and shooting into the far corner of the net.

Breagan forced two corners as a result of good service by Ward, and a corner also came from combined work by Brown and F. Boston, but the Golders Green attacks were generally broken up before they could be developed. At the other end the right wing was proving too good for Bucci, and Jordan went near to scoring again for Barnet when he slipped in to head the ball from Hawkes, but it went over the bar. Caswell cleared from a corner, and Golders Green made another effort to reduce the margin, but when Brown beat McCarthy and passed the ball round Wheeler to Breagan, the latter's shot went far wide of the posts.

Kimber never had a difficult shot to save in the second half, but it must be said that F. Boston was handicapped by a foot ingury.

After another spell of pressure by Barnet, which ended with Barlow saving from Hawkes at the expense of a corner, Golders Green showed sudden strength and shots were taken by Long, Coppola and F. Boston. W. Boston also came up to let fly at goal, but the range was too gereat for Kimber to be troubled. The effort did not last, and Barlow was soon in action again, clearing from Davey, Kelleher and Jordan.

Two minutes from the end Coppola was injured, but he passed the ball to F. Boston as he fell, and Boston looked like a scorer at last, but Kimber reached the ball and cleared. Brown also eluded the defence just on time, but failed to beat the goalkeeper, and time came with the score of 4-1 unchanged.