It had all looked so wrong for the Reds – down to 10 men, 1-0 down and Stanley on a stuttering run of form.

A loss at Underhill would have made it increasingly difficult for the Reds to battle for a top seven spot and, at half-time on Saturday, it looked those play-off dreams had taken a perhaps irreparable knock.

But John Coleman has always made sure his side are full of character and has instilled an attitude this season to never accept they are beaten.

And they put on a second-half show which reflected this and made sure those promotion hopes are not just a pipe dream.

After the game match winner Billy Kee admitted: "I’ll try my hardest and run my socks off for any manager and with John Coleman he’s taken a bit of a a liking to me."

And it’s clear why the Reds boss has taken a shine to the on-loan Leicester man.

He has never moaned about a lengthy spell on the bench, never made a bid to return to his host club despite his lack of first-team opportunities and, when the 19-year-old has got his chance, he has shown Coleman just what he can do.

It’s now two goals in two games and five for the season for a lively striker who battles and harrasses and never gives the opposition a minute, no matter what the score is.

And the same can be said for midfielder Jimmy Ryan, who also showed he is not one to sulk.

He was relegated to the bench for the match at Underhill and then Coleman had to sacrifice the wing flair of John Miles and Chris Turner when the Reds were down to 10 men.

And Ryan, alongside Luke Joyce and Andy Procter, got stuck in in midfield and challenged for every ball after the break to turn the score in the Reds’ favour.

But, while Coleman could praise his team’s battling character, Lady Luck returned to give his side a little boost which they needed.

Barnet had a goal ruled out early on when a bullet header from Micah Hyde looked like a certain goal until an assistant – the bane of the Reds chief’s life in recent weeks – flagged for a dubious off-side.

Even Coleman could see nothing wrong with the ‘goal’: "I don’t know what it was disallowed for. I didn’t see an off-side but it was our ‘get out of jail’ free card."

And Barnet boss Ian Hendon was similarly unimpressed with that linesmen when Ryan flicked a neat ball for Kee six minutes from time to hammer home the winning goal.

Despite Kee not having any doubt the left back had played him on-side, Hendon charged to the linesman insisting it was off-side and was promptly sent off.

But while there were a few contentious decisions in an action-packed game, Coleman wasn’t complaining about the win.

"I told the players to go out and play well and not worry about the result," said Coleman, whose side had clocked up one win in their previous seven games. "We deserved the win for our second-half performance. You do feel like luck is going to conspire against you again but we rolled up our sleeves and had a good go."

It certainly looked bleak when, after the disallowed goal, Dean Winnard sold his keeper short with a back pass and the lively Albert Adomah nipped in. Despite Adomah pushing the ball too far, keeper Ian Dunbavin caught him.

John O’Flynn has been lethal from the spot and, for the third game running, the Reds faced a penalty and Flynn fired the ball past Dunbavin’s replacement Dean Bouzanis.

Stanley had created chances though, and Coleman told his players at half-time to have the belief and Kee admitted the Reds boss hammered into him that the young striker would score.

And the Reds took the game to their hosts and, with the slope, looked dangerous.

The equaliser came from a perfect Luke Joyce corner which Phil Edwards got his head to for his ninth goal of the season – a superb return from the defender.

At that stage, against 10 men, a draw was a decent result against a Bees side who had only lost twice in the league at Underhill this season.

But, with 10 minutes left, a looping ball forward found Kee and defender Clovis Kamdjo caught him. Referee Steven Cook, who had been card-happy, pointed to the spot for the second time in the game and flashed the red card at the Bees defender.

This decision was overturned later on in the week.

Edwards – who had blasted home two penalties in training the day before – stepped up and looked a certainty to score but stopper Jake Cole pulled off a superb one-handed save to keep out the spot kick.

That looked like the Reds chance had gone until Adomah lost the ball, Stanley broke and Kee whalloped home Accy’s winner.

It still wasn’t over as Adomah should have equalised from Albert Jarretts’ cross in injury time but he headed wide and the Reds were not complaining.

"We have been magnificent," said Coleman. "We stayed two up front even when we went down to 10 men as Billy and Symesy were giving them problems.

"We tried to remain positive and got our rewards.

"It was a great finish by Billy and he deserved it as he worked his socks off – he had missed easier chances in the came but he got his just desserts.

"It’s a massive win because you don’t get this opportunity to take the points again."