A second half which did not do the first half performance from Bar justice ensured that Lee O’Leary’s side were forced to settle with their second consecutive defeat in the Isthmian Premier League.

The first half performance suggested that Bar were going to produce a superb overall performance, as in the 8th minute Aransibia was brought down just outside the box by Nelson, a challenge which he was booked for, with the resulting free kick being smashed against the bar by Ben Ward-Cochrane. This began Bar’s dominant first half display at the LA Construction Stadium.

Al Droubi did have to race off his line to intercept a through ball that could have proved threatening, but the early momentum was all with the Scholars, who made their early superiority pay in the 15th minute. Carvalho, who was making his home debut for Bar, was pulled back in the box after he tried to latch onto a through ball, which saw the referee point to the spot. Ward-Cochrane slotted his penalty in the bottom left-hand corner to give O’Leary’s side the lead, with this their 4th penalty awarded to them in only the 3rd game of the season.

The feeling around the ground was that Bar did need a second goal after scoring their first, as whilst they still controlled proceedings, they needed to make their dominance pay and they were not producing as many shooting chances. By the 29th minute Chinua Cole had been booked by the referee, but little else had occurred at either goal since Bar took the lead.

Ben Ward-Cochrane made an excellent run at goal in the 34th minute, cutting inside from the right-hand side of the pitch, but his effort was parried away by Carey.

Lewes then had their first real sight at goal in the game with just 6 minutes until half time, as Colombie fired a free kick narrowly over the frame of the goal.

Sharman had a chance to double the lead for the Scholars, as a corner was cleared but only as far as the youngster, who shot, but it was deflected wide by Weaire.

A cynical challenge by Taylor on the stroke of half time off the ball saw him yellow carded by the referee, as Tajbakhsh required treatment after the foul was committed.

Half time crowned a very impressive start to the game for O’Leary’s side, who had controlled proceedings and limited the chances that Lewes had access to. This would unfortunately not be the case after the interval, but there was plenty of promise however in Bar’s first half performance.

Colombie was given his first booking of the game in the 53rd minute, conceding a foul in a dangerous area, which Bar could not capitalise on, hitting their free kick into the wall.

Lewes then began to show their control of the second half. In the 58th minute, a Lewes corner went to the back post, which hit the frame of the goal, only for the rebound to be saved by Al Droubi’s fingertips, in what was a warning sign for Bar. A goalmouth scramble following a great challenge by Tajbakhsh 2 minutes later highlighted the pressure that Bar was under.

Taylor then raced through on goal, but could only fire his one-on-one straight at Al Droubi, meaning he was able to keep the ball out. In the 66th minute the ball was rolling across Bar’s area but could not be met with a finish from a Lewes player.

Parchment was brought on by O’Leary for his debut to replace Carvalho in response to Lewes gaining momentum in the game.

Lewes then got their reward for their dominance, as makeshift centre back Tajbakhsh brought Taylor down in the box, who sent his penalty down the middle to level the tie with 18 minutes to go.

O’Leary bringing on Sassi for Chinua Cole couldn’t prevent Lewes from scoring a quick second from a goalmouth scramble finished off by Taylor to turn the game on its head in the 75th minute.

Livings was then booked for a foul, and he was subsequently replaced for captain Keagan Cole, who was making his first appearance of the season for the Scholars.

Bar then looked as if they may have had a reprieve in the game, as Colombie was dismissed with 8 minutes to go. He saw red for time wasting, having been booked earlier on in the game.

This would not allow Bar to get back into the game however, as yet another goalmouth scramble was finished off by Taylor to complete his hat-trick and confirm the defeat for Bar.

Full time saw Bar fall to defeat in a frustrating manor, having been so impressive in the first half only to undo all of their efforts after the break. Bar will play away to Hornchurch on bank holiday Monday looking to bounce back from the defeat.

You can listen to O’Leary’s thoughts on the game in his interview with the club after full time here.