Report by John Edwards
Barnet 2 Altrincham 4
Regan Linney was Altrincham's inspiration again as the Robins followed up their home heroics against Woking with the ultimate away performance to stun promotion hopefuls Barnet at The Hive.
After hitting the heights on Saturday with an eye-catching 3-1 win over third-placed Woking, Alty knew they had a task on their hands trying to repeat the outcome against another side with their sights on a place in the play-offs.
A second successive win looked the tallest of orders, but the Robins made short work of it, levelling twice and leaving their hosts reeling from further goals in the 67th and 76th minutes, Linney scoring one and making the other.
What an exceptional few days for Phil Parkinson's side and what a signing Linney has already proved since arriving from FC United of Manchester, with two goals and three assists from his first two starts in Alty colours.
The first glimmer of an opening went Alty's way in the fourth minute, when Elliot Osborne played the ball forward to the edge of the area, where on-loan Manchester United midfielder Maxi Oyedele ended up being crowded out as he tried to find space for a shot.
The Bees had the ball in the net in the eighth minute, Ryan De Havilland firing past Ollie Byrne from eight yards but clearly offside after a shot from Harry Smith was deflected into his path.
The linesman's raised flag cut short the celebrations, but the home side had enjoyed a spell of pressure and were rewarded for it with an opening goal five minutes later.
Harry Pritchard created the danger with a measured pass down the left flank, and when Jerome Okimo reached it just before it went out of play and delivered a cross without breaking stride, it was perfect for Smith to head home from the edge of the six-yard box.
There could be few complaints about the Robins going behind, but the response was swift and emphatic as parity was restored in the 22nd minute.
Eddy Jones took a throw-in to Oyedele deep inside his own half, and when the ball was returned to him and instantly pinged forward to Jordan Hulme, it was met with raised arms all round in a mass appeal for offside.
Fortunately, the linesman's wasn't one of them. His right arm stayed by his side in a clear signal that the Alty skipper was, in fact, onside as he bore down on the Barnet goal.
Keeper Laurie Walker dashed from the line to meet Hulme, and when the impact of a 50-50 collision left the Alty striker flat out just inside the area, it looked for an agonising instant as though the chance might have slipped away.
But Jordan was back on his feet in the nick of time, steadying himself for a moment before rolling the ball just beyond the desperate lunge of Okimo and into the empty net to draw Alty level.
Gallingly for Alty and their travelling fans, they went behind again in the 26th minute from an all-too-familiar threat, as De Havilland swung a left-footed corner in from the right and Pritchard flicked it on at the near post for Nicke Kabamba to bundle over the line.
Byrne reacted well to parry a snap-shot from De Havilland on the half-hour and excelled himself in first half added time as Barnet went in search of a third goal.
The connection from skipper Dale Gorman from 20 yards could not have been cleaner or more powerful, but the Alty keeper flung himself to his left to tip it over.
What an important save that proved to be, as Alty started the second half on the front foot and equalised again from the second of two successive corners in the 54th minute.
Barnet failed to deal with the delivery by Osborne but thought they had got away with it when Linney's superb curled effort from near the penalty spot was headed off the line by Kabamba after flying through a ruck of defenders.
Alty had other ideas, though, and when the ball was promptly played back into the danger area by Osborne, Oyedele turned sharply and drilled a low shot into the bottom left corner for his second goal in as many games.
A sweeping crossfield pass by Osborne picked out Linney on the right of the area in the 67th minute, and the alarm bells must have been sounding for Barnet as he took it down and fired a low shot narrowly wide of the far post.
They were still ringing in Barnet ears, louder than ever, just seconds later as, from a near-identical position, Linney latched on to a pass from Hulme and found the far corner with another well-struck low drive that fizzed past Walker.
There was even more to admire about young Linney, as Alty sensationally extended their lead and made it 4-2 in the 76th minute.
Again, he found himself in possession on the right of the area, but, instead of shooting, he had the presence of mind to realise he had been forced wide and might be better off considering a different option.
It arrived in the shape of a supporting run from Tyrese Sinclair, and the pass was perfect for the Alty substitute, sent on just three minutes earlier, to clip a crisp first-time shot beyond Walker.
Kabamba plated a header straight into the midriff of Byrne in the 86th minute, but Barnet looked a spent force by this time, well beaten by a disciplined and dangerous Alty side who celebrated with the travelling fans when the final whistle signalled another outstanding performance and result.

Barnet - Walker, Potter (Beard 81), Collinge, Okimo, Gorman, Kabamba, Kanu, Pritchard, Senior (Hall 81), Smith, De Havilland (Armstrong 73). Subs not used - Moyo, Woods.

Altrincham - Byrne, Welch-Hayes, J.Jones, Baines, E.Jones, Osborne, Marriott, Lundstram, Oyedele, Hulme (Sinclair 68), Linney (Cashman 82). Subs not used - Gould, Quitirna, Kaja. Booked - E.Jones.

Referee - Alan Dale.