|
Story Of The Season - Part Three - Champions Again Ole Ole
|
|
The third and final part of our season review, where we became champions for the third time.
|
By:
Max Bygraves
|
25/06/2025
|
|
|
This article has been viewed 273 times.
|
|
February
Gritty. Dogged. What a save. What a goal. A simple summary of the first game in February as a wonderful hit from Callum Stead, just moments after an unbelievable Owen Evans save earned us a big three points at Tamworth. 0-1 a little closer than our previous match against The Lambs.
Optimism was therefore high as many of us boarded an early train for Grantham to go to Boston’s new ground the following week. This was our annual away day get together with various faces not seen for some time turning up. A spectacular day out was hard from start to finish. Well, except arguably much of between 3-5pm. A dire game of football ended 0-0. Danny Collinge’s controversial first half red card made it not the worst point ever. With Boston’s rapidly improving form, it was one to take and move on.
Another new arrival had been announced early in this month: football league proven forward Dominic Telford. A familiar name on the vidiprinter over the past few years with a real pedigree. After a couple of quiet initial showings, he announced himself in style with a great goal against Solihull Moors. My attendance at this one put paid to by a chicken pox situation with the kids. Frustrating. This was a word that could be used in another context when Solihull made it 1-1. Our first goal conceded since New Year’s Day in the league - Owen Evans’ first experience of this at all so far, in his 7th league outing. Dean Brennan responded with a quadruple sub just after the hour. It paid off. Lee Ndlovu had made way for Telford in the starting lineup but gave everyone a timely reminder of his capabilities with two late goals from the bench to seal a 3-1 win.
After Southend away, we’d talked about an unbeaten, high-point scoring potential run until facing York. 16 points from 18 available going into this game was a frankly brilliant return. Confidence was high and as we approached the biggest game of the campaign so far. We went into it four points ahead of York, sat at the top of the table - though they had two games in hand.
The stage was set. Just over 4000 at The Hive for a midweek game. A little different to usual - though swelled by a ridiculous following of over 1000 from York. On the night, everything just clicked.
I’ve had conversations with more than one person since who have described it as one of the best performances, if not the best, they’ve ever seen from Barnet. We were at them from the off and they simply couldn’t cope. Oluwo’s 16th minute goal very much a just reward for our all guns blazing start. And it just got better and better. Dominance turned into goals within six second half minutes as Ndlovu and then Hartigan had us 3-0 up before the hour. This was ridiculous. As assured and confident a performance as you could have hoped for when it really mattered. York grabbed an undeserved last minute consolation, scoring past emergency loan keeper Toby Savin, debuting after signing that day following an injury to Evans.
Barnet 3-1 York City. Seven points clear. What a night.
A few days later and we were on the road again, this time with a tricky looking trip to Rochdale. Dale inconsistent through the campaign yet still in the play off mix and a threat on their day. However, this was another one of our days. A frankly absurd afternoon that began with an early Stead goal ended Rochdale 0-4 Barnet. Browne, Telford and Glover also got in on the act as we won 0-4 away to a reasonable side without breaking sweat. What on earth was happening?
March
Into March and at the point now where the wait between games was feeling longer than ever. Especially if unable to attend. The fixture computer had kindly thrown Oldham away up just seven days after Rochdale. I’m not aware of anyone making a week of it. Another tricky fixture against the side who would go onto defy the odds in the play offs after an up and down season. This was one of their down days but yet another high for Barnet in what was turning into a glorious 2025. Having gone off 0-0 at half time, a stupendous second half display saw us cruise to a 0-3 win. Great goals by Brunt, Stead and Oluwo. What a statement.
A long awaited fixture at The Hive followed just a few days later. Yeovil on a Tuesday night didn’t attract the same numbers as the York game but a similar quality of Barnet football on show. The eventual 5-0 scoreline really did flatter our visitors who could not wait to get off that pitch. It was a massacre from start to finish. Yeovil lucky to get nil as with other results going our way that night, we now moved nine points clear. It was very hard not to start believing now.
Yet as fun as this obscenely good run of smashing teams left, right and centre was, the following Saturday produced a win of a different kind and a pivotal moment in the campaign. Dagenham were the visitors in a 12:30 kick off. It was a frustrating afternoon and looked as if the winning streak would come to an end. That was until Lee Ndlovu popped up in stoppage time to scuff a winner leading to some absolutely wonderful scenes. With York not kicking off until later, this made the gap 12 points. The buzz coming out of that one was huge. It was looking like a done deal.
The short trip to Woking proved to be another enjoyable away day. Rhys Browne was on hand to score the game’s only goal against his former club as we ground out another 0-1 win. Dean Brennan’s big reaction at full time gave a real sense of how vital he deemed this one to be.
A week later and it was a hat trick of 1-0 wins. The long trip to Altrincham was moved to a 5:30 kick off. Due to this, we were playing after York who had a chance to close the gap. However, Braintree sprang a shock thanks to John Akinde and on-loan Bee Jermaine Francis. A goal each in a 2-1 win gave us the chance to go 14 points in front with a positive result at Altrincham. Myself and many others gathered in the Railway Tavern to watch a rather frustrating stream. Nothing frustrating about the result, however. For the second week running, Rhys Browne was the match winner as we very much marched on.
The month finished with a home game against Gateshead. A side Dean Brennan had been yet to beat as Barnet manager in six attempts. It was the magnificent seven on the day - a largely procession-like 3-1 win. A late goal for the visitors made the ending slightly nervy, before Stead made sure by adding the third. York had won during the week make the gap 11 points - but with six games to go, the conversation was now more about ‘when’ than ‘if.’
April
We were now 25 league games unbeaten. An absurd run. It was looking like this could go and go but it was curtailed on the first Saturday of April in Essex. Despite Stead putting us in front, Braintree came back strong and ran out 2-1 winners. The manner of the defeat, a very late Akinde penalty, was disappointing. On the day, few complaints could be had. They outdid us all over the pitch and Evans was by far our best player. The message was not to panic. From a selfish perspective, it meant we couldn’t win the league the following weekend which I couldn’t attend, so every cloud.
The much-anticipated clash with Wealdstone no longer had the extra spice of the chance of being champions, but returning to better ways after Braintree was key. Oluwo’s first half header put us 1-0 up and we really should have built on this. Frustratingly, those creatures from Ruislip got another memorable moment against us with a late goal to snatch a 1-1 draw. It was a huge point for their survival hopes, too. Frustrating for us and now perhaps a few more nerves were creeping in as York appeared to be getting it back together.
Good Friday brought the visit of Eastleigh. The game was moved to 5:30 having most likely been earmarked by DAZN as the day we’d do it. We now knew this wouldn’t be the case and it would be fair to say a few nerves were jangling as York powered to a 1-3 win at Gateshead at lunchtime. Following five wins on the spin, they were now just three points behind us. Very much in our hands but the gap had massively narrowed from fourteen in late March. Eastleigh had little to play for but decided to turn up. Of course, Paul McCallum, formerly of Barnet, was the man to open the scoring. The collective inhale of breath around a busy Hive was not a pleasant moment. Danny Collinge squared things up before the break. A vital goal. But much as we huffed and puffed in the second half, we created very little. A 1-1 draw keeping us 4 points clear with three to go. Still huge favourites, but had we lost the momentum now?
It was a strange Bank Holiday weekend. Leaving the ground on the Friday night after the Player of Year awards, it all felt a bit flat and like maybe it was going to slip away. By the Monday morning, the reality of the situation had swung back to the fact we could win the league at Sutton United with favourable results in both our game and York’s.
Something about the day felt significant from the off. As I got on the tube into town that Monday morning, there was a feeling this would be memorable. Arriving at Victoria and seeing swathes of other Barnet fans hours before kick off suggested this was more than your average away day. A few hours in Sutton town centre preceded walking to the ground to be met with a sizeable Bees following. Taking over half the ground and making a real racket. Those nerves and fear from the last few weeks nowhere to be seen. They were calmed even more so when Mark Shelton’s early strike made its way in. Sheer bedlam behind the goal as the early jitters were settled. Sutton came back into it however and by some miracle Owen Evans stayed on the pitch after a pair of blatant fouls. Sometimes it’s your day - though this felt less the case on 33 minutes when Sutton equalised from the spot and at the same time, York went 1-0 up against Oldham. The live league table showed the gap down to two points. A massive second half lay ahead.
Early in the second period, a fantastically helpful moment in our favour. A silly mistake saw them concede a penalty and be reduced to ten men. Shelton made no mistake from the spot and our lead was restored. It was a different game now and we looked comfortable. The title pendulum swinging back our way in extreme fashion on 70 minutes as news of an Oldham equaliser at York beautifully scattered through the away end. It felt like another Barnet goal. Huge. With little under ten minutes left, an Ade Oluwo header gave us a real moment to savour and sparked more marvellous scenes.
York could only manage a draw, meaning we now were six clear with two to play. 1 point needed from 2 very winnable games against Aldershot at home and then Fylde away. Even the most negative of Barnet fans couldn’t deny it was happening now.
Barnet v Aldershot Town: Saturday 26th April 2025. A sold-out situation. Anticipation, some (needless) nerves but an overriding sense this would be a special day. In the event, it was a flawless performance that really epitomised how worthy a team of champions we were. 2-0 up inside twenty minutes thanks to two penalties from Shelton. The Shots had their minds on a Wembley FA Trophy appearance a few weeks away and were seemingly only too happy to make this easy for us. An even quicker fire brace in four second half minutes for Callum Stead turned things into a rout. A fitting way to win the league.
The scenes afterwards are well documented in the post-match write up. It was just bloody amazing. From running about on the pitch with my kids to an all-timer night in The Railway Tavern with more or less the entire first team. It was simply magic. Champions again ole ole.
May
We ended the season, strangely, nine days after the Aldershot fixture on the first May Bank Holiday against already relegated Fylde. The best summary I can give for this game was simply one of huge FOMO. I don’t know why I hadn’t really considered quite how a big weekend of celebration it could be. I’d definitely had my fill the previous Saturday but as footage began filtering across WhatsApp of the players joining supporters in The Manchester Bar on the Sunday afternoon before the game, the jealousy was off the scale. The champions deservedly taking the piss the night before the final game of the campaign. To really maximise this, a comfortable 0-3 away win when most of the players were either hungover or still pissed was remarkable. This win meaning we ended the campaign on 102 points. Centurions.
It proved to be a truly unforgettable 2024/25 season. These were highs I’d long since resigned myself to a thing of the past. Some of the moments and experiences from this campaign go right up there with those formative, youthful years following the club. The feel-good factor and buzz is as good as I’ve ever known. A personal renaissance in terms of my own love for Barnet over the past three or four years - but it feels like the club is broadly experiencing revitalisation in so many ways, too. If we can get the move back to Barnet to happen, we truly may be entering the very greatest of times.
To the football league, we’re on our way… Bring on 2025/26. Cheers for reading.
|
|
|
All Articles By This Author:
Other Articles By Category
|