Barnet3-0Tranmere Rovers

Tranmere Rovers went out of the FA Cup in the first round after Barnet scored three times in the final 17 minutes of a 3-0 win at The Hive Stadium. Darrell Clarke's side had survived Barnet's better first-half openings and created chances of their own after the break, but substitute Kane Smith broke the deadlock in the 80th minute. Fellow replacements Nnamdi Ofoborh and Damola Ajayi then turned a tight cup tie into a heavy defeat for the visitors.
Barnet started more sharply. Adam Senior shot over from the centre of the area in the third minute, Jack Maskell had an effort blocked and Idris Kanu missed from the left side of the box. Tranmere, lined up in a 4-2-3-1, had an early Tom Conlon shot blocked and won corners, but struggled to turn those moments into clear chances. Danny Collinge and Kanu also missed the target for the hosts as the opening half stayed goalless.
The best first-half chance recorded came in the 38th minute, when Luke McGee saved Charlie Lakin's left-footed effort from the centre of the area. Jordan Turnbull had been booked two minutes earlier, and Olly Scott joined him in the referee's notebook a minute after the save. Barnet pressed again before the interval, but Oisín Gallagher's attempt was blocked and the teams went in level at 0-0.
Tranmere offered a stronger attacking response after half-time. Tom Ince saw one shot blocked and another go wide in the 55th minute. Dylan Jones then missed twice in quick succession, first with a right-footed effort from the centre of the box and then with a header. McGee saved from Brandon Comley at the other end before Matthew Cox kept out Charlie Whitaker's shot from the left side of the area. For a spell, the first goal looked within reach for either side.
Clarke made three changes around the hour: Ryan Watson replaced Conlon, Bobby Faulkner came on for Turnbull and Joel Senior took over from Joe Ironside. Watson was immediately involved, forcing Cox to save his shot from the centre of the box. Will Vaulks then fired just over and Ince missed from distance. Tranmere had chances to seize the tie, but the score remained level as Barnet introduced Smith, Ajayi and Tom Knowles in the 69th and 70th minutes.
Those substitutions decided the afternoon. After a run of Barnet corners, Knowles set up Smith on the right side of the box in the 80th minute, and the substitute drove a right-footed shot high into the goal. Ofoborh came on three minutes later, then finished Ajayi's pass from the centre of the area in the 90th minute. Vaulks shot over in stoppage time as Rovers sought a response, but Ajayi added a third at 90+6 with a left-footed strike from outside the box into the top right corner.
All three Barnet goals came from players who had started on the bench. That late burst sends the hosts into the second round and ends Tranmere's FA Cup run at the first hurdle. The final score was stark after a match that remained goalless until the 80th minute, and Rovers will rue the second-half chances they could not turn into a lead.