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Story Of The Season - Part Two - Unbeaten
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Our 2024-2025 season review continues from November to January with no league defeats to suffer.
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By:
Max Bygraves
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15/06/2025
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This article has been viewed 178 times.
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November
A valiant effort in the FA Cup 1st Round at Exeter saw us look on course for an upset going into the latter stages with a 2-3 lead, only for an almighty collapse resulting in a 5-3 defeat. It sounded (radio only available for this one, for those of us not there) like a decent game and one where despite the disappointment at not hanging on, it wasn’t one to ruin your weekend. Maybe not the year for a cup run and a decent League 1 side away a particularly tough ask, too.
To be fully complete in covering everything, the Monday after this saw us lose 2-0 at Bedfont Sports in the Middlesex Senior Cup. A youth team from back to front. Fixture obligation duly undertaken.
After a fortnight away from league action, it was a largely forgettable return against Oldham at The Hive. It was a 5:30 kick off for DAZN. It was cold. It was 0-0. Let’s move on.
Dagenham & Redbridge away followed. An international weekend saw a swell in away numbers with 532 Barnet fans packing that exceptionally poorly segregated stand. We kicked off in 3rd, four points off the top and no sooner had we started than we found ourselves behind. Equalising through Kanu after four minutes gave a bit of an indication of the kind of game that was to follow. At half time, we trailed 2-1 and hadn’t looked particularly convincing. On 48 minutes, when the hosts went into a 3-1 lead it felt like once again Victoria Road was going to be an unhappy hunting ground.
On the hour, Rhys Browne was brought on and the next half an hour was an utter madness. Within 3 crazy minutes between 65 and 68, we found ourselves on terms thanks to a pair of Kabamba penalties. The first one was definitely the right call, the second a little more fortunate. Either way, we’d somehow got back into the game in no time and all of a sudden, the pendulum felt like it was swinging our way. Browne’s effort from the edge of the box on 77 minutes to put us 3-4 up caused utter mayhem. As explained in more detail in the match article, he and I shared a particular tender moment somewhat spoiled by a flailing fist in all the excitement. One of the moments of the season - just huge. An incredibly nervy finale concluded with us seeing it out. What a win.
The following Saturday, in driving rain and dismal conditions we comfortably beat Woking 2-0 at The Hive. Browne and Hobson on the scoresheet as we stayed 3rd but there was now a point in it. A satisfying, professional job done.
Next up was a Wednesday night trip to Yeovil live on DAZN. Results had gone our way the day before with both Forest Green and York failing to win. Ryan Glover fired us into an early lead but it was a toil after that. When Yeovil equalised with just over a quarter of an hour left, it looked like a point might have to do. However, Danny Collinge’s 81st minute goal proved to be a huge moment from a key player who had missed a large chunk of proceedings thus far due to injury. Nick Hayes also produced an amazing stoppage time save to ensure maximum points. Not too many contributions of note during his short spell at the club - but this was significant.
The month finished with a second goalless draw at Hartlepool. Kabamba had a goal against his former employers wrongly disallowed which was the source of some frustration, but this still felt like a decent point overall to complete an unbeaten month.
December
Four fixtures, all at The Hive. Opportunity was there to make it a very Merry Christmas.
The month began with a home tie against National League South strugglers Aveley in the FA Trophy. At a barren, bitterly cold Hive, we ran out 2-0 winners never taking the handbrake off.
The following week saw basement side Ebbsfleet make the relatively short journey. A horror season so far had them good as down already. Former Bee Josh Wright taking on a particularly tough challenge in his first management role. The gulf in class was apparent from the off. As bad as Ebbsfleet were, we played some great stuff. Mark Shelton’s goal of the season screamer the pick of the bunch. 4-0 up after just 33 minutes to go back on top of the league table. Ebbsfleet pulled one back in the second half as a consolation. On another day, it could and maybe should have been a cricket score, but no complaints here.
Our final game before Christmas proved to be a somewhat frustrating draw with Halifax. They took an early lead, Shelton equalised midway through the first half and then they did a real defensive job on us. A very effective, quite horrible away performance from the Yorkshire side. They’d done what they needed. By us not winning, it meant York would be top of the tree on Christmas morning with an advantage based solely on goal difference, both sides on 48 points.
Boxing Day saw a healthier looking crowd in attendance for the clash with Sutton United. It proved to be a real Christmas cracker. Having gone 0-1 down, Glover and Oluwo were on target to have us back in front by half time. Yet five very ugly minutes in the second half saw the visitors produce an expected response to lead 2-3. With the time ticking away and the unbeaten home record seemingly all over, a last gasp equaliser in the 99th minute snatched a draw. Drama. One of those where one point feels like three. A huge outpouring of relief all round. There’s still some debate to this day as to whether it was Glover’s goal or a deflection off Barnet goalkeeper Nick Hayes who was in their box by this stage. A goal that’s significance in the wider picture of the season really cannot be discounted. Another fantastic moment.
With York’s game postponed on Boxing Day, we ended 2024 at the top of the league. Could we remain there until the end?
January
New Year’s Days outcome at Eastleigh didn’t do any favours in maintaining top spot. After a poor start, Callum Stead’s second half header earned a point to make it three draws on the spin as we dropped back down to 3rd. A few days later, a forgettable footnote of the campaign. A 3-1 defeat at Altrincham in the FA Trophy following a second half collapse with a mixed team out. The two most significant items of note from the day; our goalkeeper and number nine.
In goal at Altrincham, Owen Evans made his debut. The Welsh keeper joined on loan from Cheltenham the day before and went straight in. A strong case of Deja vu to the goalkeeping switch at exactly the same time (and coincidentally, against the same team at the same ground) last campaign. However, this one would not be one for any sort of discussion point. It would be fair to say for his half season impact, Owen Evans goes straight into some pretty serious conversations about Barnet goalkeepers - no mean feat, given some of the quality we’ve had there over time. Nick Hayes’ move didn’t work out and during the month, he made the switch to Southend. A second consecutive play off final loss would prove to be the way his campaign would conclude.
Always wary to throw this word around, but there is a strong case for Nicke Kabamba having done enough to be a Barnet legend. His impact at the club was huge. However, despite a healthy goal return to this point, there were murmurings from some quarters he wasn’t having the same overall impact. Brennan had dropped him to the bench a few times and it turned out that nothing game at Moss Lane would be his final one in a Barnet shirt. A reported £145k offer from Bromley was accepted and Nicke was off to League 2. Undoubtably a gamble to sell the main striker at this point although for his age and the supposed fee, arguably a great deal for all involved.
Kabamba would be replaced by previous thorn in our side in the 2023 play offs, Lee Ndlovu from Boreham Wood. The two deals happened quickly. Sentiment hung in the air for Kabamba, but there was no time to dwell if we were serious about taking the title.
A deal to bring Bailey Hobson back to the club following the early ending of his loan spell at the club due to injuries at Chesterfield never materialised although rumbled on for a few weeks before it was discovered we couldn’t do it anyway due to rules about days in loan contracts. Like the good old days with Andrew Adie.
The following week after all the transfer moving and shaking saw our game against Hartlepool fall foul to the weather. Our only postponement of the campaign; certainly helpful to building and keeping rhythm.
A Tuesday night trip to Forest Green Rovers for a title chasing six pointer saw many of us make whatever midweek arrangements we could to be there. Following some worries about the descending fog in the area, the game did make it through but goals within it did not. However, despite almost being a little frustrated to only take a point (and draw for the fourth consecutive league game), it was a performance of note. We were dominant throughout with a number of fine individual performances. Something about the Gloucestershire fog seemed to inspire Idris Kanu in particular on the night and indeed, for much of the remainder of the season. Organic, vegan, foggy fairy dust from The New Lawn?
Forest Green away was perhaps the beginning of a turning point - but Southend United away four days later was the turning point.
A chilly January jaunt to the seaside. My kids’ first ever away game and one that will be worth getting YouTube up to relive with them time and time again when they’re a bit older to fully appreciate it. Danny Collinge’s header midway through the first half gave us a deserved lead with an own goal ten minutes later giving us a very comfortable 0-2 cushion before half time. The nature of that second goal in front of a big home crowd stunned into silence had something of a Carlisle 04/05 vibe about it. The second half saw Southend denied a goal in absolutely scandalous fashion. Never mind, Josh Walker. After riding out a bit of a push back from the hosts, it was Collinge with his head again who wrapped up the points. Terrific scenes in that away end as we recorded a real statement victory.
Something clicked that day at Roots Hall. It was apparent seven days later for the visit of Maidenhead. Another 3-0 win which felt like a complete stroll in the park. We were now into a run of very winnable looking games before meeting some of those chasing the title and playoff spots in the next month. This was the time to get it together and a 13th match unbeaten suggested we might very well be.
The swagger continued on the following Tuesday night at home to Hartlepool in the rearranged game from earlier in the month. A 2-0 win with, again, little sweat being broken. This put us 4 points clear at the top of the league albeit having played a game more than second placed Forest Green and two more than third placed York who were six behind. Even with that caveat, it felt big. Four consecutive clean sheets. Our defensive Achilles heel seemed repaired with the assurance of Evans in goal and Ndlovu notching his first for the club that night another positive element.
With seventeen league games remaining, it was still all to play for but we’d put ourselves in a position of strength. Character but now consistency in abundance as we looked towards a massively important February…
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