Leyton Orient’s stuttering play-off bid stalled again as they were soundly beaten 3-0 by Barnet.

The O's have now taken just one point out of the last 12 and with just five left to play a second successive season stuck in football’s basement division looks on the cards unless they can rediscover their form quickly.

Manager Kevin Nolan had told his players they needed to stand up and be counted ahead of the game but they couldn’t manage a repeat of the 2-0 win they recorded over the Bees on the opening day and now their season is in danger of fizzling out.

They struggled against the intensity and aggression of a mid-table Barnet side who have little left to play for this season, although you would never have known it as they flew into tackles as if it were a cup final.

They led 1-0 at the break through John Akinde and then added two quick fire goals at the start of the second half trough Sam Togwell and Akinde again, after Lloyd James had missed a penalty for the O's.

It was too much to take for many of the travelling fans who streamed out with half an hour still to play.

Player manager Nolan substituted himself, replacing himself with first year scholar Josh Koroma just after the hour to try and engineer a comeback from the bench instead of the pitch, but the dye was already cast on this game and maybe the O’s play-off chances as well.

Earlier in the afternoon, Nolan had resisted the temptation to bring back skipper Mathieu Baudry for his first start after a three-match ban, opting to keep him in reserve on the bench, while Jobi McAnuff missed out with a calf injury.

In came Lloyd James and Calaum Jahraldo-Martin as Nolan shuffled his pack from the side held at lowly York City last time out.

There was little sign of what was to come when Orient’s Ollie Palmer scuffed an early effort into keeper Jamie Stephens’ arms as the visitors began with early intent but they were soon being outfought and over-run by an aggressive Barnet side typical of their manager Martin Allen.

The ball spent a lot of time in the air and Curtis Weston headed over the O's goal and then went closer still with a pot shot after the O's defence obligingly opened up for him.

Orient were struggling against the hosts’ no nonsense direct approach and they found targetman John Akinde and the abrasive Weston particularly hard to handle.

Keeper Alex Cisak needed treatment after being clattered by Weston as both competed for a high ball but that was a lot less painful than what followed soon after.

Orient had been struggling to stitch many moves together against their 100 miles per hour hosts and they fell behind after 26 minutes after committing a cardinal sin. They left Akinde unmarked in the box to nod in James Pearson’s cross and give the Bees the lead they had been threatening to take.

It was a body blow but not a surprise and Orient, in front of their 1,655 travelling fans, knew they had to up the ante.

Palmer always looked like the man most likely to spark a revival and he almost did when he turned Elliott Johnson to tee up Nigel Atangana on the edge of the box. Atangana could not have hit it any better but he was denied by an amazing save from Stephens in the Barnet goal.

If that was a great save, Orient were wasteful on 35 minutes when Shaun Brisley scooped the ball over the bar after keeper Stephens had flapped James’ free kick into his path.

The O's were now knocking on the door and for the second time in ten minutes Atangana was denied by a stunning stop from Stephens, with the Bees keeper diving low and to his left to keep a thunderous half volley out of his net.

Trailing 1-0 at half time the O's knew they had to find a way past the inspired Stephens and they were given the perfect chance from the penalty spot just one minute into the second half.

Jerome Binnom-Williams was needlessly chopped in the box by Andy Yiadom and ref Keith Stroud handed O's skipper James the chance to level from the spot.

But it was a chance he could not take as Stephens saved in front of the massed ranks of Orient fans.

A costly miss was made to look even more so as Barnet doubled their lead just four minutes later. Again Akinde was behind it. He powered through the middle, saw his shot saved by Cisak. The ball came out to Luke Gamblin whose shot thudded against the bar and the loose ball was snaffled up by Sam Togwell to leave the O's right up against it.

And the hill became a mountain to climb on 57 minutes when Akinde outjumped keeper Cisak on the edge of the box to head his second and Barnet’s third into an empty net.

That was enough for many O's fans, who headed for the exits with more than half an hour left to play.

Soon after, Nolan decided his afternoon as a player was done as he substituted himself to direct orders from the dugout instead.

Substitute Armand Gnaduillet twice stabbed wide but there was no way back and Nolan and Orient knew it.