Super-sub Craig Pope erased Barnet's Jeckyl and Hyde tag with a late equaliser that maintained the Bees' recent upturn in form.

Pope's 86th-minute header capped a marvellous second half's entertainment and kept alive Barnet's faint play-off ambitions.

The Bees can count themselves lucky to escape The Aimita Stadium with a share of the spoils after Farnborough missed several guilt-edged opportunities.

But Bees boss Peter Shreeves was adamant his side got exactly what they deserved. "I thought 2-2 was about right because had they taken their chances they would have scored five but if we'd taken ours we would have scored six," he said.

A heavy pitch made attractive football difficult and both sides failed to adapt to the conditions in a poor first half. Efforts from Wayne Purser and Mark Gower were the only highlights in a largely forgettable first 45 minutes. The game sprang to life in the second period and it was the home side who broke the deadlock when Geoff Pitcher unleashed a powerful 20-yard shot that took a deflection on its way past Danny Naisbitt.

The lead was short-lived as the Bees' teenage star Ismail Yakubu levelled four minutes later with a sweetly-struck shot into the top corner after a well-worked corner routine involving Gower and John Doolan.

Farnborough, struggling in the Conference since the acrimonious departure of chairman and manager Graham Westley, picked up the tempo and retook the lead when Pitcher's excellent defence-splitting pass found Rocky Baptiste. His first-time volley easily beat Naisbitt with half an hour left.

Baptiste again found himself free a few moments later and should have extended Borough's lead but Naisbitt denied him.

With 18 minutes left, Peter Shreeves brought on Ben Wiper for a disappointing Purser and the substitution almost brought instant reward.

Purser's replacement up front, Fraser Toms, found himself clean through on goal. But as he rounded Farnborough keeper Tony Pennock his shot was cleared off the line by Tony Taggert. Lee Pluck then performed similar heroics for the Bees when he saved a certain goal from Baptiste, while the same player was denied by Naisbitt's legs seconds later.

Former Bees' striker Ken Charlery could have added a third when he headed straight at Naisbitt but it was Barnet who had the last laugh.

A Gower corner was whipped into the box and Pope flung himself at the ball to net with a powerful header.

A relieved Peter Shreeves said: "It was a lovely finish for both the goals and a good header from the young boy from the set-piece.

"We look forward to the game with Stevenage next week as it's a big local derby. We're not firing on all cylinders and we're still missing Danny Brown and [Neil] Midgley but you never know what your best team is at this football club and that's what I'm finding at the moment."