Barnet

Barnet FC is a football club from North London who can trace their origins back to 1888. They came to being after a team originally called New Barnet FC and then Woodville FC formed Barnet. They moved to play home games at Queens Road in 1889 and played local league football until they ceased to exist in 1902.

Two local clubs: Barnet Avenue FC and Alston Works AFC continued to attract support to fill the fans void. Avenue renamed themselves Barnet FC in 1904 and renamed strictly amateur. Alston Works became Barnet Alston and entered the London League while moving into Underhill in 1907. In 1912 the two clubs merged to become Barnet and Alston FC as they entered the Athenian League. In 1919 they became the third incumbent of the name Barnet FC.

The club remained in the Athenian League for over fifty years, winning the title on seven occasions. They also added an FA Amateur Cup win against Bishop Auckland at Stamford Bridge. They returned a couple of years later when they lost to Leytonstone. They reached the Wembley final in 1959 but went down 3-2 to Crook Town.

In 1965 "The Bees" turned professional and moved into the Southern League. In 1972 they reached the FA Trophy Final at Wembley before going down 3-0 to Stafford Rangers as well as enjoying a few notable FA Cup runs around the same time. Later in the decade Jimmy Greaves had a spell with the club.

In 1979 Barnet became founder members of the Alliance Premier League, which was the forerunner of the Conference. Manager Barry Fry couldn't work the oracle as the team struggled before he left to join Maidstone United. Fry returned a couple of years later and led The Bees to two second places, the second in 1987 when Scarborough became the first non-league club to win automatic promotion to the Football League. 

Another two second places in the next three seasons ensued before promotion was finally secured in 1991 under the controversial chairmanship of Stan Flashman. They lost their first game 7-4 at home to Crewe Alexandra and drew 5-5 in their next game in the League Cup with Brentford! 

Within a couple of years promotion was won to the third tier. By then Fry had gone. Many managers came and went as they found themselves back in the bottom level. John Still settled the ship and took Barnet to two play offs before they lost their league status in 2001, with Still moving on.

The current England non-league and former Stevenage manager Paul Fairclough took up the reigns and led Barnet back into the Football League in 2005. The emphasis of the club was to develop youngsters of their own and those cast off by bigger clubs. As of late 2010 Fairclough was a director of the club overseeing its development while managers came in to look after the first team.

The Underhill ground was  the home of Barnet from 1907 after they spent the first nineteen years of existence in New Barnet and Queen's Road. It was a non-league ground until 1991 and in fairness it struggled to make the step up ever after. The club were in a continuous fight with the town council as they struggled to implement plans to build a new stadium, while they utilise the space they had to the best of their ability in the meantime. 

In 1994 Tony Kleanthous bought the club and the Barnet Cricket Club which was located directly behind the South Stand to try and extend the stadium but Barnet Council proved problematic in granting planning permission. 

Kleanthous certainly did more for the fans than previous chairman and ticket tout, Stan Flashman who owned the club between 1985 and 1993. He and manager Barry Fry had many disputes. Flashman pumped money in at one time but the club narrowly avoided bankruptcy by the end of his reign (despite Fry bringing in £3 million in transfer fees) while he banned anyone who dissented against his management.

To read about Flashman, click here:

Underhill was used by Arsenal Reserves for several seasons.

The 2010-11 season saw The Bees pull off a miraculous escape to preserve their League status. They looked down and out until Martin Allen took over as boss. He immediately transformed the team but then sensationally walked out after three games to take the manager’s job at Notts County. 

Youth team boss Giuliano Grazioli took the reigns as the team won their last game of the season to stay up. After the game, assistant Lawrie Sanchez became manager with Grazioli reverting to his previous role.

I wrote the following on this blog when updating this page in 2010:

"What of the future as of 2010? Chairman, Tony Kleanthous, is really doing his best. There was talk at one time of a move to share at Leyton Orient but this thankfully never came about. Copthall Stadium was also mooted but it has an athletic track around it so that was deemed unsuitable. 

The club developed "The Hive", an academy facility at Prince Edward's Playing Field near Canon's Park tube station which opened in 2009. This site has a half built stadium which was being constructed for Wealdstone FC, before the developers ran out of money. There is plenty of room around it to enlarge it. One snag is that it isn't in the Borough of Barnet, but I would not be surprised in the slightest if this ground was one day home to Barnet FC."

It would appear that my words may yet to be prophetic, as on Wednesday 14th December 2011 the club announced that the 2011-12 season would by their last at Underhill. Chairman Kleanthous cited differences and obstructions from the local council as the reason for having to move. He later added on Sky Sports News that the club had permission to build a Football League standard stadium at The Hive. 

This news didn't go down particularly well with fans of Wealdstone FC, but it would appear that Barnet worked behind the scenes with Harrow Borough Council and the covenant covering The Stones may well have been removed. 

However in the same week as the statements were released, Wealdstone FC Chairman Howard Krais stated that the club had not given up their rights. It was to lead to a very interesting few months as there are fans around who believed that Kleanthous worked to manufacture the move and he had intended to move Barnet to The Hive for several years.

Meanwhile on the pitch Barnet once again struggled badly in the 2011-12 season. Kleanthous sacked manager Sanchez near to the run in and incredibly brought back Allen who managed to guide the side to safety before departing once more, to be replaced by Mark Robson for the 2012-13 season.

In June 2012 after talks with Harrow Council it was announced that Barnet had signed a ten year deal to play at The Hive from the start of the 2013-14 season. Dutch international and house hold name Edgar Davids took over as Player Manager in December 2012 after Robson was sacked. 

Unfortunately his wealth of experience could not save the side from relegation. Barnet departed once more from the League, only this time with a new stadium to move into.

Davids got himself into trouble with referees on a regular occurance and even chose which away games he wanted to attend. He left the club by mutual consent in January 2013. Eventually a new full time boss arrived in March in the shape of former hero Martin Allen.

Allen reshaped his side and took them to the Conference title in 2014-15, fired by the goals of John Akinde and some fine defensive displays. Allen resigned in December 2016 to be replaced by Kevin Nugent who lasted just eleven games.

Rossi Eames had a previous spell as caretaker manager before being appointed in a full time capacity in May 2017. The experienced Mark McGhee took over in November 2017, with Eames dropping back to the position of Head of Player Development.

By January 2018 McGhee had moved to a role of Technical Director with Graham Westley taking over as head coach. That experiment lasted until March 2018 when Martin Allen returned for a fifth spell at the club.

Allen galvanised the team but a win against Chesterfield on the final day of the 2017-18 season against Chesterfield was not enough to save Barnet's Football League status. Allen departed to take the Chesterfield job as John Still returned for a third spell in charge of the team.

Still announced his retirement in December 2018 after leading the side to the third round of the FA Cup but with the team languishing in the league. Darren Currie stepped up after an initial interim period as results improved.

Barnet defeated Sheffield United away before losing to Brentford after a replay in a passionate fourth round encounter, while the team ended the 2018-19 campaign in twelfth position. The side went out in the play-off semi-finals to Notts County after defeating Yeovil Town in 2019-20.

Currie departed to be replaced by Peter Beadle who lasted just a few months before Tim Flowers was appointed during a disastrous 2020-21 campaign. The former England keeper departed in March 2021 with former boss Paul Fairclough taking up the reins in a caretaker capacity.

Harry Kewell had a very short spell as manager at the start of the 2021-22 campaign, prior to the appointment of Dean Brennan, who took the Bees to the 2022-23 playoffs with Nicke Kabamba top scoring. Boreham Wood ended any hopes of promotion.

The 2023-24 season saw Barnet end as league runners-up, but they fell in the semifinals of the playoffs at home to Solihull Moors. This was a few months after owner Kleanthous announced plans for a new stadium just south of Underhill in their home town.

Barnet FC will play in the National League in the 2024-25 season.

My visits

Underhill

Barnet 1 Weymouth 1 (Tuesday 27^th September 1983) Alliance Football League (att: 609)

In 1983 I started a college course in nearby Borehamwood. One of my first tasks was to work out how to get to Underhill and other nearby venues. After a 10 minute walk I could get a bus to a couple of minutes’ walk from the turnstiles, which was ideal, especially for midweek games. 

I attended this Alliance Premier League clash, as the Conference/Blue Square was called back then, and even swapped some Scarborough programmes for those of more local clubs at the club shop near the turnstiles.

Underhill seemed a decent non-league venue at the time. The Main Stand was flanked by open terracing down one side. Opposite was a long cover over terracing with a snack bar and club shop at the top of the heavily sloped enclosure to follow the pitch’s contours. The near end was open terracing whereas the south end had a cover over the central part of the terrace.

I can’t recall too much of the game but enjoyed the evening out as I started a life of venturing out on my own without restrictions in a big city. Barnet’s goal was netted by Steve Mahoney.

Barnet 3 Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Tuesday 29^th November 1983) Friendly (att: approx. 650)

Spurs sent a side to Underhill to give some players a much needed run out. From my fading memory I seem to recall a run out from Alan Brazil and Osvaldo Ardiles amongst other stars. I saw myself on TV in a later programme as reporter Peter Brackley interviewed players in the street behind the Main Stand.

Barnet 2 Kidderminster Harriers 1 (Saturday 25^th February 1984) FA Trophy Round Three (att: 988)

Back in the day I was pretty much hopeless with money. Not to be deterred from missing out on a game despite my scatter cash approach, I walked to Underhill; a distance of over three miles.

I recall a boisterous group of Harriers fans who’d obviously sought out some of Barnet’s ale houses before the game. They were jubilant as their side went into the lead but were subdued by full time as goals from Steve Ragan and Stewart Atkins put the home side through.

Barnet 5 Scarborough 1 (Saturday 8th February 1992) League Division Four

It wasn't until ‘The Bees’ were promoted into the Football League before I returned to Underhill. Earlier in the season they had smashed Scarborough 4-0 at The McCain Stadium. I travelled down with the lads on a mini bus and soon decamped into the Old Red Lion where a decent turn out of Seadogs had gathered.

We walked down the lane to the away entrances to be shocked at the expensive admission charge. We were allocated some covered standing on the East Terrace. Along the same side to the right of the Main Stand was a small section of open terracing while on the left was a small covered Family Stand which was added in the early 90's. 

Next to this stood a two storey building in the corner, The Durham Suite, named after Bees midfielder Kevin Durham who died in 1991. This led round to an open terracing known as The West Bank, which once had a partially covered terraced stand. It was home to Barnet's more vocal support until it was demolished in the mid-1990s. 

The East Terrace where we were had a roof in three separate tiers to allow for the slope down to the far goal. This slope has been corrected to a large degree over the last few seasons. The terrace was split into 3 sections with the centre left empty for segregation purposes. The open North Terrace completed the picture.

Barnet were excellent on the day and Boro weren’t. We did very well to get away with only losing 5-1 although the bright point of the day was a stunning consolation from Mark Jules, repeating his scoring form from the previous Tuesday at Burnley. Duncan Horton, Roger Willis, Mark Carter, Gary Bull and Kenny Lowe smashed home the Barnet goals.

On the way home we missed our intended road towards the A1 and found ourselves having to turn instead at Stirling Corner, which meant we went past my old lodgings in Wansford Park, Borehamwood.

Barnet 0 Scarborough 0 (Saturday 2nd February 2002) FA Trophy (att: 1,140)

I was really looking forward to this relatively local match for me as Boro had seen somewhat of a revival under new manager Russell Slade since Christmas. We were a tough team to beat with all the players guaranteed to put in 100% every game.

I met Liz and Simon in Camden for beers and to wait for Chewy who was having problems finding us. He eventually turned up but said some of the other lads were having problems as the railway was down between Peterborough and Stevenage. 

This meant them having to get on a bus and consequently reduced their potential pre match drinking time. I solved that problem by telling them to take a local service and alight at New Barnet rather than travelling all the way to Kings Cross and then taking a tube back out.

We met them all in the Old Red Lion before we went on to the match. Underhill’s open terracing to the left had been replaced by some open green seats on a portable stand of the likes seen at concerts and golf tournaments.

The game was being “refereed” by Brian Kettle, who I can only describe as one of the most self important incompetent clowns ever to don an outfit. He did his very best to win the game single handed for the home side which resulted in Boro manager, Russ Slade, being sent to the stand at half time for offering his own feedback as the teams made their way to the tunnel. 

Boro performed heroically under severe provocation from Kettle and his staggering decisions. He awarded Barnet a very dodgy 90th minute penalty which Andy Woods saved to send us all into joyous celebration. He had earlier turned a blind eye to a definite penalty for Boro.

We enjoyed the beer after that game and from what I can remember the celebrations went on in Barnet, Highgate and Camden for some hours after the final whistle! Ok it was only a draw but Barnet would have to play “oop north” in a tough replay and we’d stood firm against a blatant cheat. Only football fans understand!

Barnet 0 Scarborough 0 (Saturday 3rd April 2004) Football Conference (att: 1,560)

Steve Walker was over on holiday catching up with everyone from his new home in Bangkok and Boro were conveniently playing at Barnet. He managed to actually navigate his way from Paddington to meet me in the World’s End Camden to watch some of the FA Cup semi-final between Man Utd and Arsenal and to try and pick out our horses for that afternoon’s Grand National.

Carl and Steve having a grand day out

We caught the tube for the long ride on the Northern Line to High Barnet and then get to the Lion, where we met Jamie, Carl and Oliver who’d travelled down in the car. We had a good laugh catching up before entering the ground.

The game was pretty even as Boro kicked up the hill and the signs were promising for the second half. By the time the teams came out I was euphoric. We were originally miffed that the stewards wouldn’t let us round to the clubhouse to see the scores, watch the National and have a beer. 

I was soon cheering as my horse Amberleigh House had won the race at odds of 16/1. Even better news came in within minutes from Barbados as Matthew Hoggard had taken a hat trick for England.

Pre match beers 

Boro improved as the game went on but couldn’t find a way through, despite having a good shout for a penalty turned down.

We returned to the Old Red Lion for a while and chatted to some disconsolate Arsenal fans who’d returned from their defeat at Villa Park. They were good lads and admired our loyalty to our club, despite all the problems and hard times we’d seen. We went to Finchley for me to collect my winnings and to continue the evening which ended in Willesden and an oversized Indian takeaway.

Autumn 2007

I visited once again one wet afternoon in 2007 to take the pictures in this blog. The ground had been given an impressive facelift with a single tiered covered South Stand making a huge difference. A small covered temporary stand had also been erected in the North East corner for away fans who were now allocated that end of the East Terrace. 

The cricket club’s clubhouse, whose ground was just behind the South Stand, had also been refurbished and was shared by football fans. Credit to Barnet for the limited work they've been able to carry out.

Barnet 2 Cheltenham Town 2 (Friday 16th December 2011) Football League Two (Att: 1,775)

I was keen to see my first Football League game at Underhill since Barnet were relegated and then promoted again. I was on early shift, there were no other games on and The Bees were charging just £10 for anywhere in the ground apart from the Main Stand. 

They had done the same against Macclesfield Town a few weeks earlier and were rewarded with a crowd well above average.

I took a couple of buses changing in Edgware, before having a cracking pint of Timmy Taylors Landlord in The Mitre, a fine but very busy pub on Barnet High Road. I continued down the hill on a clear cold evening, with the lights of Canary Wharf twinkling miles away in the distance, and then paid to go into familiar territory on the East Bank where I'd stood on three previous occasions as an away fan with Scarborough. 

The food bar seemed cheaper now than it was back then, which as well as I'd woken late after my siesta and needed feeding! Maybe it could have been my memory, or did away fans get overcharged? I can’t honestly remember, but I do know the admission was cheaper than the last time I'd been!

I really felt for Barnet. They'd really done their best with Underhill, but were are obviously fighting a losing battle. The stadium looked as neat as was possible and the addition of the corner floodlights gave it a true stadium feel as you advanced from the town centre. 

If they did happen to build at The Hive, then they'd no doubt see more of me, especially if they played on Friday nights, as it's within walking distance of my flat. When the game kicked off I had even greater sympathy for Bees fans. They were a poor man’s Crawley. What awful tactics, as everything was hoofed forward in the air. 

Mr Sanchez obviously remembered his Wimbledon days with relish. I'd never seen so many small blokes having to launch themselves through the air to win a ball since that dwarf throwing fiasco at the Rugby World Cup. The silly thing was that when they did get the ball down, they looked a far better team.

Cheltenham despite their lofty league position were nothing more than an organised workmanlike outfit as they were encouraged by their visiting support of 220. Mind you, none of the six sides I'd now seen in the division in the 2011-12 season had really stood out. Maybe it's my age, but I'm sure I used to watch better football than that?

It was all so regimental and high paced. I knew why I enjoyed step 5-7 football so much. The lack of fitness created more open play and occasional glimpses of individual skill.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Town took the lead after threatening on a couple of occasions through a slick move which was converted by Kaid Mohamed. The Bees equalised when McLeod did well to convert a low cross from Bees man of the match Sam Deering. 

Town retook the lead straight away when the referee awarded a penalty after some pushing and shoving in the box as a free kick came in. More refs were giving fouls for these sort of incidents of late, and rightly so - as long as they remained consistent. Darryl Duffy sent Dean Brill the wrong way from the spot. 

Mr Sanchez stormed onto the pitch to give the ref his take on things as the half time whistle blew, and consequently found himself having to watch the second half from the stand.

The long ball high pressure stuff from Barnet looked slightly better after the break, as the slope held the ball up. They continued to aim the ball wide to Mark Marshall who was skilful if a little lacking in his delivery of crosses. McLeod and his mates were continually looking for a penalty decision to even up their perceived injustice. The ref, Mr Simon Hooper was slowly succumbing to pressure judging by one or two of his decisions. 

He inevitably ended up giving Barnet a penalty. I'm not sure whether it was or not, but I looked forward to seeing the Football League show for evidence. If it was a penalty then it should also have been a red card too for the offender, Sido Jombati. 

Amazingly Mr Hooper deemed it only worthy of a yellow. McLeod collected his brace as he sent the keeper the wrong way from twelve yards.

From then on there was plenty of pressure from the home side, but Cheltenham looked decent enough at the back meaning their keeper Scott Brown didn't have many shots to save, but plenty of crosses to catch. The away side could have won it, but for a shocking miss by Brian Smikle when one on one with Bees keeper Dean Brill.

I gave the man of the match to the referee Simon Hooper, who brightened up a dreary game with some strange decisions which fired up the players and the crowd.

A draw was probably the right result in the end. I made my way back up the hill and after a couple of bus rides I was back indoors in Kingsbury before 11pm.

The Hive

Barnet 2 Cambridge United 2 (Saturday 16th November 2013) Football Conference (att: 2,853)

While some of the Barnet fans were naturally less than amused at leaving Underhill, The Hive was within walking distance of my Kingsbury flat. I had seen it being developed over the years with its fine training pitches and then the stadium itself. It was time to go to a match.

The game had been put back to a 5.30pm kick off for the benefit of live coverage on BT Sport, which was ideal for my early shift. My cricketing pal and West Ham fan Tony Foster was going after the Harrow Borough match at 3pm. I agreed to meet up.

The pricing structure was designed to encourage fans to buy monthly memberships or season tickets. The cheapest admission was £17 to stand behind the goal. Tony was in the £22 seats but got a reduction as he'd been to the Tuesday night game earlier in the week.

Eventually, after queueing in error to get in the away end amongst some fuelled up United fans, I found my way in and seeked out some seats. It was nice to see workmates Jim Spillane and John Wilson giving The Bees a go. Tony arrived and we got a decent vantage point.

The Hive was a very functional venue. We were in the steep single tiered West Stand. Opposite were all the facilities including offices, changing rooms to all the pitches and a clubhouse. In front of it were a few rows of seats. Either end was identical with covered terracing.

United were top of the table going into the game with Barnet hovering around the play off places. The game started at a decent pace with both sides trying to test each other before Cambridge went 1-0 up on twenty eight minutes with a Kwesi Appiah goal. The same striker made it two within a minute with another clinical finish.

It looked grim for the home side, but they gathered themselves and fought back in fine style. Luisma Villa pulled one back with a magnificent twenty five yard shot Ten minutes before the interval. Barnet went in level after smart play from Crawford set up Curtis Weston to smash home.

The second half was a tight affair. Both sides had chances to take all three points before a remarkable incident in the last minute.

Someone in the home end set off a smoke bomb as a Barnet corner came in. The ball looped in the air off someone and hit the crossbar with huge spin on it before George Sykes tapped home. There was huge confusion as to whether the ball had earlier gone out so the goal was chalked off.

At full time Tony drove me to The Man in the Moon Wetherspoon pub at Stanmore. My pal Gary Griffiths was staying with me for a couple of nights and he joined us after attending a Wingate & Finchley youth team game. We enjoyed a very convivial evening until it was time for the last tube home.

A Final Visit to Underhill

Edgware Town 1 London Lions 1 (Saturday 6th September 2014) Spartan South Midlands League Division One (att: 172)

EdgwareTown had reformed after an absence of seven years, and were to play at Silver Jubilee Park, the former home of Kingsbury Town and Kingsbury London Tigers. However, the pitch was being laid with a brand new artificial surface, meaning that they needed an alternative venue to start the new season.

Tony Kleanthous offered the use of Underhill. The stadium had recently being put up for sale and was being used by London Broncos RLFC for their second string side. This was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss out on.

I was just as interested in hearing the thoughts of any Barnet fans I may bump into. Their side were playing at The Hive that afternoon so I didn’t think I’d see too many.

I saw a poster in the Mitre before kick-off advertised the Back to Barnet campaign. In the second half at the game I got speaking to some exasperated old Bees who couldn’t resist a game at their traditional home. The men had been watching Barnet since the 1950’s.

Their impression was that although Kleanthous had stated that he wanted the club to return to the Borough, they thought it to be lip service. They thought that the row with the council had hit a stalemate, and the only way Underhill could be sold would be to a school. There was room for a stadium on the fields behind, but that require planning permission and good will. They believed that there was a chance that some fans could hand in a proposal.

I felt extremely sad for them, but to be honest I got the feeling that they also felt that the club had moved forever. I really hoped to be proved wrong in time.

Barnet 1 Eastleigh 0 (Saturday 4th October 2014) Football Conference (att: 1,610)

It was my turn on nights once again at work and I wanted to head out for some fresh air to see a match somewhere within easy travel. My West Ham and Middlesex mate Tony Foster was heading to The Hive so I bit the bullet and went along.

The thirty minute walk woke me up before I paid the crazy £23 for a seat. This was later made worse when Tony told me it was only £20 for a wing seat but he then moved along to some empty spaces. Meanwhile I thought I’d treat myself to a beer downstairs. Sadly my £4 bottle of London Gold was warm. My patience was being tested!

I was slightly disappointed that the bar downstairs was devoid of any images or memorabilia of the club. It gave the impression that the Bees were merely tenants. A plus point was that the £3 programme had plenty of reading matter.

The game had a decent first twenty minutes while the rain fell, but it then fell away. I was unaware of the size of the pitch at The Hive but it was seemingly too small for the teams, especially the big and burly Eastleigh outfit, who struggled with the concept of bending runs and staying onside.

The home side deservedly took all three points courtesy of a deflected goal before the break from Sam Hoskins. The Spitfires had one chalked off for offside the second half and Barnet hit the frame of the goal at least three times. 

Big John Akinde was a handful all day, but my pick was out wide on the right in the shape of Adam Mekki when he came on as a sub after an hour as he showed pace, commitment and trickery.

The atmosphere and demographics at The Hive had me more in mind of a rugby union game. Plenty of one eyed home fans screamed for a yellow card for every foul. They were proper Sky Sports watchers.

I departed and lamented that my visits would be very few and far between in the future unless it's for a very special occasion. The day before I called in at Silver Jubilee Park, which was the same walking distance from home. This was ready to host Edgware Town games and hopefully Hendon for the 2015-16 campaign. 

That would be my stop gap ground going forward. How Barnet hoped to attract regular new fans at those prices was beyond me. There was not even a board at the entrance announcing forthcoming fixtures.

At least the chips on the way home at SkipJacks were good!

Barnet 2 Torquay United 3 (Tuesday 11th November 2014) Football Conference (att: 1,745)

While I didn’t want to get into the habit of visiting The Hive too often, I’d had a belly full of my course at work for the day. I needed something to enjoy after the purgatory of earlier, making the late decision to walk up. For the first time I stood behind the goal for £17. It wasn’t a bad view at all.

Barnet weren’t the easiest on the eye, but I thought the visiting Gulls could offer decent opposition, and so it proved. The match was being shown live on BT Sport, but still attracted a decent gate, with a decent following cheering on the visitors.

Torquay went in two nil up as crosses were converted by Louis Briscoe and then helped into his own net by Barnet keeper Graham Stack. John Akinde was as ever a menace for the Bees, but Torquay defended well.

Barnet pulled a goal back just four minutes after the break when Luisma Villa Lopez converted a long throw. The home fans sensed a real opportunity of a win, but within seconds Briscoe silenced their cheers with a shot into the bottom corner from outside the box to make it 3-1.

The home side weren’t finished. Charlie MacDonald set up Bernard Mensah to reduce the deficit with twenty six minutes remaining. They tried to crank up the pressure, but the visitors held firm. If anything they should have extended their lead as gaps appeared in the Barnet defence late on, but they spurned a couple of great opportunities.

However, Torquay ensured their three points over the league leaders and ensured a happy long ride home for their followers.

Barnet 1 Bristol Rovers 0 (Saturday 9^th January 2016) Football League One (att: 2,770)

It was time for my early shifts, with a 2.30 pm finish. With my preferred choices of Edgware Town and Wealdstone both playing away, the clash between the previous seasons promoted teams from the Conference looked like a good idea.

The tube took me to Canons Park, and from there it was around a ten minute walk to the stadium. I marched past the Rovers fans queueing and to the turnstiles for the South Stand terrace. The steward told me that I couldn’t pay cash and had to obtain a ticket from the office across the car park.

It’s fair to say that I wasn’t impressed, especially once in the line with an extremely slow service being offered to the ditherers in front. Those further behind me were getting most grumpy as we heard the teams being welcomed onto the pitch. Eventually I got served and paid my £17 for my standing ticket. No way was I giving them £3 for a programme.

It was Barnet’s biggest crowd for some time. They went to social media to attract new fans and then had only two ticket office windows open. I remembered why from the 2016-17 season my money would be going over the counter at Silver Jubilee Park for the home matches of Edgware or Hendon.

Once inside I found a good place at the back and enjoyed what turned out to be a very good game in worsening conditions as the match progressed. The Bees took the lead from a set piece as full back Gavin Hoyte fired home after the Gas defence failed to clear.

Rovers were backed by a tremendously vocal away following and showed plenty of promise going forward as they kicked into a stern wind. At the other end the big forward John Akinde was causing mayhem with his strength.

Just before the break, with the wind being joined by heavy driving rain, I decided to grab a warm drink. It was hard to believe, but those manning the concession in the East Stand made the ticket office staff look speedy. Eventually I got a Bovril after one girl served a shipping order in front of me.

After the interval the ball spent most of the time in the Barnet half. Their defence and midfield were doing a sterling job keeping the Bristol forwards at bay. The visitors were guilty of some wasteful finishing, with far too many attempts on goal going over the bar. Jamie Stephens in the home goal was struggling to get within ten yards of the half way line, so the pressure continued.

Occasionally Barnet would break and take some time out of the game. The home skipper Andy Yiadom was given a straight red card for a heavy challenge, which led to the pressure. Akinde, Aaron McLean and Luke Gambin did fine work holding the ball up and trying to give their mates some rest bite.

Ellis Harrison and his chums for Rovers continued to waste half chances, which led to the shooting getting more desperate as the clock ran down. At full time the Bees boss Martin Allen marched across the pitch to thank the home supporters. I must confess to comparing them to rugby union fans in the past, but on this occasion they had been top class and making a tremendous atmosphere next to the visitors.

Once outside the stand I got absolutely soaked. My plan was to walk home, but I struggled as far as Queensbury station before jumping on the tube. At least the walk from there was with the wind and rain at my back!

The match had been a really good advert for the bottom tier of the Football League, but the weather and the organisation at Barnet really needed a facelift.

Barnet 1 Portsmouth 0 (Tuesday 23rd February 2016) Football League Two (att: 2,557)

The temperature was dropping as I headed to The Hive. There were some non-league games still on despite some wet weather, but I fancied a game with a fair bit of atmosphere. After my ticket wait at the Bristol Rovers game, I arrived a bit earlier, only to find no queue and inside the ground waiting for the teams.

The Barnet DJ was doing a fine job with the pre match music. He perked me up so much that I nearly called it a night and headed to the pub! Predictably enough Pompey had a large and vocal following of 1,330 making up half the total gate.

The match was tight, with neither side backing out of any challenges. Portsmouth looked a decent side, but they were missing someone clinical to capitalise on their possession. Barnet were using the massive long throws of Sam Muggleton to cause mayhem.

The deadlock was broken when Adam Webster tripped up John Akinde as another throw fell in the box. Referee Philip Gibbs pointed to the spot and big man Akinde sent Ryan Fulton the wrong way as Barnet took the lead on forty minutes.

Adam McGurk came closest to the equaliser in a game of very few chances but full commitment, but his header was well tipped over by home custodian Jamie Stephens. The away fans were frustrated and a large police presence appeared for a short while. Despite there being five minutes of added time, it would end 1-0.

It was time for a few pints back in Kingsbury to enjoy listening to how Hull City had won at Ipswich Town, while the Arsenal fans moaning at a home defeat to Barcelona kept me entertained on the radio phone in.

Barnet 3 Enfield Town 3 - Enfield win 6-5 on penalties (Monday 21st November 2016) Middlesex Senior Cup (att: 207)

After the previous Saturday's utter dross served up by the teams of Chalfont St Peter and Ashford Town, this was a classic full blooded cup tie.

I met my pal Steve Speller for a couple of pints at £1.49 a pop of fine Bath Ales in JJ Moons Kingsbury before a cab ride saw me and my mate who's increasingly preferring non league to Leyton Orient, situated with a predominantly Enfield supporting crowd on the terracing behind the goal.

The young Barnet side started off at 100mph and it was surely a matter of time before they took the Towners apart? The visitor’s keeper showed up late, meaning they fielded an outfield player; Scott Shulton between the sticks for the first twenty five minutes. He even pulled off a couple of excellent unorthodox saves with his feet.

By the time the 'proper' custodian, Ravan Constable, took his place, his side had taken the sting out of the youngster's exuberance and were one up through an excellent run and long range shot from Dernell Wynter, which not for the first time saw the Barnet keeper, Kai McKenzie-Lyle, looking a tad more than suspect.

It was 2-0 soon after the break when Town defender Harold Joseph muscled his way to finish a corner with aplomb. The rain sheeted down in spells which helped the spectacle on an immaculate playing surface.

I had suggested that fitness may play a part as the game progressed. How I wish my fixed odds predictions were as accurate.

Two finishes from Nana Kyei and Wes Fonguck for the home side who continued to emulate Arsenal got it back level before an amazing effort from wide on the half way line from the left back Joe Payne saw the ball go into the far back corner as the Town keeper tried to get back following his wayward clearance from the corner of his penalty area with just three minutes remaining.

The Town fans were naturally gutted but their side won a free kick near to the byline. It was converted with a glancing header from Ricky Gabriel as the marking was absent while the gangly keeper flapped about like a rusty gate. A fine comment from behind the goal was that he was the third worst keeper on show, which was about right.

The game went straight to a penalty shoot out, which saw some excellent spot kicks with all ten going in. Enfield made it 6-5 before Constable made a fine save to set off loud and deserved celebrations.

It proved to be brilliant value for a fiver, but I was a bit disappointed with Barnet not opening the bar, doing any programmes and having no PA's. They also provided the usual rip off Football League catering too.

As for their young keeper; I'd be delighted to be proved wrong, but if I was him I'd be doing a part time trade or academic course.

Nigeria 1 Senegal 1 (Thursday 23^rd March 2017) International Friendly (att: 2,013)

It was the day before I headed to Thailand before my annual holiday and after completing my tasks on a day off from work I decided to walk up to The Hive for a rare opportunity to see some international football, with the £10 admission charge adding to the attraction.

Killing two birds with one stone I did my holiday shopping on the way up the hill at Morrisons. I went a bit earlier than I usually would to beat the queues at the ticket office. I opted for a place on the South Terrace behind the goal. It was disappointing that no programme had been issued.

Rather than spending money on the expensive and ordinary catering, I had filled my little flask full of tea to keep warm on a rather bitter evening.

Nigeria’s Ogenyi Onazi was carried off with a potentially serios injury in the first period as both sides sounded each other out. There was some top quality play without too many goal scoring opportunities.

Both sets of fans created a good atmosphere as they cheered on their heroes. N9ine minutes after half time Senegal went ahead as Idrissa Gueye of Everton crossed for Fenerbahce striker Moussa Sow to slot home. Gueye went close to doubling the lead shortly after.

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was introduced for Senegal with half an hour remaining to great cheers. However, with seven minutes remaining Nigeria got an equaliser.

Kelechi Iheanacho was fouled in the area by Pape Ndiaye. He picked himself up to slot home the spot kick.

At full time there was a mass pitch invasion as fans clambered to get close to the players. It was all good natured and players stood for selfies and mingled, which was good to see. I headed back in the cold getting a good walk on back home.

Barnet 1 Stockport County 0 (Sunday 2^nd December 2018) FA Cup Round Two (att: 2,826)

My visits to The Hive had diminished partly down to my involvement supporting Hendon and the usual price of admission. However, the club sensibly dropped all tickets down to £10 for the 2pm kick-off as the BBC continued to air a dedicated programme to several of the Sunday ties.

John Rogers, a friend I’d made watching Hendon accompanied me as we met in JJ Moons in Kingsbury, as I carried quite a hangover from the previous days’ excitement. The pub was busy with County fans seeking real ale before continuing to the game.

Walking seemed far too strenuous, so an Uber was ordered to take us up to the ground. The complex was busy with junior games taking place on the caged 3G pitches. The car park was filling up and a couple of mini bus loads of away fans emptied out, with the occupants vocal and ‘in ale’.

Our seats were for The Legends Stand, as the railway side had been renamed. We were early, but I’d reasoned that real ale was available under the seats. The facilities were in the process of being upgraded with the bar area vastly increased in size.

The club was doing a good job with it, as a couple of displays featuring Barnet legends were on the walls. Unfortunately, there was no real ale despite hand pumps being fitted. I guessed that it was still to come. We settled for bottles of Theakstons XB.

The programme was free to download online. We pondered the news that prmission had been sought to replicate the away fans stand at the home end and wondered just what Mr Kleanthous had in mind. Surely it wasn't just for Barnet's benefit?

Walking back into the open we were slightly shocked with what we saw. The away end was already bouncing and not far from being full. The Stockport fans, which numbered 1,542, were creating a fantastic atmosphere as the teams came out. It was all set for a rousing cup tie.

The Bees were on a decent run of form, while The Hatters sat in mid table of the National League North, a level below the hosts. We were keen to see how Hendon old boy Josh Walker was doing in his new surroundings up the road.

Barnet started out the better side with Dan Sparkes curling a free kick narrowly wide. Then a collision between County’s Ash Palmer and Bees Byron Harrison saw both players leave the pitch with head wounds to get patched up.

Stockport missed Palmer’s height at the back while he was off as a pinpoint Cheye Alexander cross was headed back across Ben Hinchliffe’s goal and into the net by Sparkes on eight minutes. Darren Stephenson fired a decent chance well over the bar at the other end.

Sam Walker tested out home custodian Mark Cousins with a couple of efforts as the Hatters pressed but were being kept at arm’s length by the Bees defence, which was being expertly marshalled by Daniel Sweeney.

Sweeney saw his header cleared off the line by Sam Minihan as he came close to doubling the lead after twenty six minutes. Cousins kept out a couple of Stephenson efforts with relative ease before referee Scott Oldham brought the half’s proceedings to a close.

Jim Gannon’s visitors kicked towards their adoring fans after the break, and they came back out firing on all cylinders. Adam Thomas and Elliot Osborne saw efforts go close, while Sweeney was forced to clear a Frank Mulhern cross as he was put under pressure.

Hinchcliffe made a good save to tip over a Walker drive before an Osborne shot was spilled by Cousins. Mulhern couldn’t force the rebound home. County made attacking substitutions whereas John Still seemed satisfied to hang on to the lead judging by his changes.

His side defended very well. County just couldn’t create a clear cut opportunity. Palmer headed over towards the end and Dan Cowan saw a shot blocked. The full time whistle saw contrasting emotions between the two sets of fans.

The Stockport contingent remained behind to give their side a deserved ovation. There had been signs of the reputed strict Barnet stewarding not being greatly appreciated behind the goal, but both the fans and team had done each other proud.

Barnet just about deserved their win. Their fans increased their volume towards full time and also gave their team a good hand. The Bees players and management certainly knew that they’d been in a proper contest.

John and I headed out towards Canons Park and went for a Guinness in Moranos Bar after realising our initial target of Doolans on Honeypot Lane was closed. We had a nice chat with some good County fans who knew their stuff.

The bar was very busy with fans from the game, along with others settled in to watch the Liverpool v Everton game on one of the six TV’s around the room. The staff and bouncers were friendly. One wished me a safe journey home. It shocked him when I said I should be OK to Kingsbury. He assumed I was from the north west!

We went our separate ways as I tried to nurse myself back to better health while having a night in front of the TV. It had been a thoroughly enjoyable few hours.

Barnet 0 Brentford B 5 (Thursday 28^th February 2019) Middlesex Senior Cup Semi Final (att: 167)

A rare Thursday night game offered Steve Barnes and I the opportunity of some entertainment. We met and had a quick half in Kenton before taking the bus to the fine Duck in the Pond pub near Belmont Circle. An Uber delivered us at The Hive in driving rain.

Admission was a very acceptable £4, with only the Hive and a section of the North Stands open. We positioned ourselves where the away fans would normally sit. Indeed, the vast majority around us were supporting the Championship club.

The rain continued to teem down. For a short period, we were getting concerned as small puddles were forming. However, there’s something about wet pitches, especially under the lights, that adds something to a game.

Within ten minutes it became obvious that the full timers had more about them than their hosts. The link up play and individual skill was a step up. Marcus Forss opened the scoring on twelve minutes with a fine low shot into the corner of the net across the keeper.

If you look back to a previous Middlesex Cup encounter on this page against Enfield Town, you’ll see I was quite critical of Barnet keeper Kai McKenzie-Lyle. Remarkably he’d gone on to be signed by Liverpool.

The hosts keeper for this clash was his younger brother Renell McKenzie-Lyle. He wasn’t good. Indeed, I remarked to my mate that I’d seen his previous poor performance, not realising he was his brother, such was the similarity in appearance and performance.

Ali Coote played a defence splitting ball midway through the first period which found Kolbeinn Finnsson whose finish was too much for McKenzie-Lyle. Forss made it 3-0 before the interval with a close range header.

Play was held up for what looked like bad injuries to Roy Syla and Jarvis Edobor as the opposition players went wholeheartedly for the ball. Both had to leave the pitch and be substituted after receiving cuts.

At the break we adjourned to the bar area under the Hive Stand. I was most impressed with its décor. Food seemed to be served quickly and service was good at the bar, even though we just went for tea. We bumped into SJP regulars and fellow groundhoppers Chic and Bernard.

The weather had eased up as we took up the same seats high above the action and offering a smashing view. One Brentford fan seemed to be taking things far too seriously, though he may have had learning difficulties. He was certainly getting on the wick of a few others.

Barnet improved after the interval, but the visitors went further ahead after Martin Box challenged Finnsson with the loose ball falling to Jakko Oksanen whose long range shot flew past the Barnet custodian.

Hosts sub Antonis Vasiliou went close with a forty yard free kick before Brentford made in five with nine minutes remaining. The impressive blonde haired Finnsson was played in with he neat pass which he dinked over McKenzie-Lyle.

Patrik Gunnarsson kept the away side goal intact with a neat save from Vasiliou while at the other end Theo Archibald skewed his shot wide when put in by Finnsson. Before full time Gunnarsson made a good double save from Dwight Pascal and then Benji Aghadiuno.

At full time we headed in the dry up to the St Brides Avenue bus stop on Camrose Avenue where several other fans joined us, including the friendly eccentric Barnet fan with his huge collection of international flags.

The 288 bus dropped us on Edgware Road from where we took another service south to enjoy a convivial couple of hours in The Moon Under Water where we were joined by our resident plumber.

Barnet 1 Harrogate Town 0 (Tuesday 19^th March 2019) National League (att: 849)

I’d enjoyed my couple of visits to The Hive in the season and Barnet sensibly dropped terrace tickets to £10 to attract more fans. My pal Steve Walker was over from Bangkok and was joined by Jeff Cards.

We enjoyed a few pints in JJ Moons at Kingsbury before I ordered us an Uber for some midweek action. Therefore, I was not exactly happy when we arrived at the ticket office. Barnet had decided to shut the terrace and charge everyone for a £22 seat.

I must admit that I wasn’t very courteous to the staff, but this was ridiculous. There was no budging, so we were back in the Kingsbury hostelry within an hour. It led to a messy evening and hangover. Thanks Barnet!

Sunday 29^th November 2020

I had cut through The Hive’s site many times on my walks to try and maintain my fitness. However, a special occasion as part of my 100 miles Sawasdee Cup Charity Walk to visit all top five tier clubs in Greater London to raise money for Junior Cricket Development can be read about here.

Barnet u18’s 0 v Bromley u18s 5 (Monday 11^th October 2021) FA Youth Cup 3^rd Qualifying Round (att: c150) 

Just three sections of the low-level Main Stand open for this game on what turned into a chilly evening by full time. The 7pm kick-off worked well for me to go off for beers after the game on the first week of my Autumn annual leave.

A good walk each way too from my flat. Now if only Barnet weren't so greedy with their admission prices, they might have attracted me as a regular, as they have a potentially excellent set up. Three quid for this encounter was excellent value for money. 

It was a comprehensive win for the Ravens u18's. The biggest mystery is how they went in at half time just one up through a Soul Kader penalty. After the break it was a dominant display, with the Bees only having an occasional foray.

Kader went on to complete his hattrick, with other goals coming from Lateef Adaja and Ben Krauhaus as I watched in the company of regular friends, enjoying a good natter about all things football.