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SPECIAL: Our Rivals
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An in depth look at this clubs' rivalries.
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By:
Eric Hitchmo
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25/02/2010
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What is it that consitutes a rivalry in football? The all knowing Wikipedia describes a sports rivalry as "intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans.". Seems about right to be fair, which goes to show that Wikipedia does in fact have all of the answers to life. But that‘s for another day.
So which ‘athletic teams‘ invoke the feelings as described above for everyone involved with Barnet Football Club? The first stop has to be of course, Enfailed.
This of course is the ex-club Enfailed. The original club were reformed in 2007 under the guise of Enfailed (1893) FC. This mob currently reside in the Essex Senior League, ten points from the top, playing in front of crowds scraping 100 a fair few miles from ‘home‘ in Broxbourne. So are we rivals with this lot as they are technically the original club? Or do we consider Enfailed Town, the 2001 breakaway club as the rivals? Or are either of them our rivals?
Enfailed Town are one league up in the Ryman First Division North, but similarly to 1893, play their games away from Enfailed, at Brimsdown‘s Goldsdown Road ground. Even so, they can regularly boast crowds of over 200, comfortably the highest in the division so it would be a fair assumption to say that a significant number of supporters from the old club have followed the breakaway club. It looks a distinct possibility that they could back in Enfailed soon as they plan to move into the Queen Elizabeth Stadium just off the A10, which is to be refurbished.
I would be interested to hear the views of long-standing supporters, those who have been here longer than myself. I cannot relate to your views on Enfailed, I cannot hate them as much as you do, simply because I haven‘t seen us play them. The last time we played was 1991, near twenty years ago. This is way before my time as a Barnet fan and even if I was there, I‘m sure my hatred as a four year old would not match that of the full grown adults in attendance. The game finished in a 4-1 rout of the Es in a heavily attended FA Cup game. It was estimated that close to 2,500 Barnet fans, perhaps more, swelled the crowd to a handsome 5,120 - the second highest to ever watch an Enfailed v. Barnet match.
I have heard some great stories over the years from the old guard about old battles with Enfailed both on and off the field. If you walk past where the Southbury Road Ground once stood, no-one would ever know that one of Non-Leagues once biggest clubs ever plied their trade there. A new-fangled retail park now takes up the area once known as a football field with the all too familiar bar, restaurant and cinema combination. In fact the whole area is now full of these so called "parks" where teenagers hang, young lovers share a first date, boy racers circle in their modified supermobiles and where anyone over the age of 40 appears to be near impossible to find.
However what does still stand over the road is the fantastically dubbed "Bus Stop Of Hate", where many a Barnet supporter would come a cropper as they waited for the 107 (or is it 307? Or a completely different route back then?) bus to take them back over Cat Hill and into safer surroundings. A chase, a right hook, maybe even a headbutt are amongst the fondly cherished memories of this bus stop, superbly recollected with a warm sense of nostalgia by a number of the old guard I have conversed with in my relatively short time following this club.
And what about the famous quiz night of 1985 in the old clubhouse where The Durham Suite now stands? A number of clubs attended, including of course the hosts Barnet and nearby friends Enfailed. Fans of said clubs were exchanging all sorts of banter across tables to the bewilderment of the other fans present. After all, it was just a quiz night. Combined with Enfailed‘s taunts about having won the FA Trophy at Wembley many times, things began getting heated, and soon enough the two sets of supporters were once again engaging in a big punch-up. Indeed this was a massive rivalry there can be no question, and it is undoubtedly the most fervent that Barnet FC has ever seen. There seemed to be pure hatred here, and it still remains amongst many, even two decades on.
In that same year, Enfailed were to deliver a beating that still haunts some to this very day. In the FA Cup, they came to Underhill and blitzed their way into the next round with a 7-0 victory. Dear oh dear. Such memories still cause visible distress to Barnet supporters who witnessed this sad event, though some do go as far as to deny it ever happened. Enfailed were to beat us two more times in the league before the season was completed. However in the next season, Barnet were ready to put the record straight and did it no harm by completing a double over the 1986 Christmas period. I was less than three weeks old at the time so again, I cannot really share the delight that must have been felt by all who attended.
As such, I can‘t say that I‘ve ever felt such a strong hate for any other clubs in the last ten or so years of supporting Barnet. Looking back at my dislike of The Chavs Borough for example, it comes across as just looking for an excuse for someone to hate. I could say "oh I hate Enfailed loads" until the cows come home, but I cannot say it with the same feeling of emotion as those who have been coming for 30, 40 years can. I‘d be kidding myself if I thought I could.
Let‘s have a look at The Chavs then. As I say, this would be the club who I first directed my anger at, something which was shared a little by those amongst the Barnet faithful, but certainly not completely. It started off pretty harmlessly really, the only real novelty was that we would take a fair few fans up the A1 to see Barnet play. We lost the first two league meetings in 2001-2002 but won a superb match at Broadhall Way the following season where things were beginning to brew slightly. There was a little bit more noise, a little bit more needle, and those who had been searching for a someone to loathe after Enfailed had disappeared into the wilderness had a potential candidate in this lot.
The Chavs beat us at Underhill again in March 2003 to compound and perhaps sum up what a drab season it had become. We had sat mid-table for the vast majority of the year, not troubling either the bottom or the new fangled play-off system and when something came along that could have been vaguely exciting, we put in another lifeless show and our visitors, who had been in some serious relegation trouble, walked away with two late goals and three points. Oh I was angry. Sixteen years old and going through one of those phases you might say. For me, at the time, I hated The Chavs, they were the closest I was going to get.
Still though, no anti-The Chavs songs on the terraces. Perhaps a lot of people didn‘t share my attitude. Some did, yes, but this rivalry was clearly never going to match that of Enfailed. Yes, rivalries don‘t happen overnight, but for a lot of people it appeared quite clear that The Chavs were just another team in the Conference that we had to beat, like Woking or Scarborough.
In our play-off season, we once again won at Broadhall Way, coming from behind with both Barnet goals being scored at our end. It was certainly something a bit more than the usual, we had loads there, and we made an absolute racket. The two goals were met with utterly wild celebrations as people bundled their way down the stairs to celebrate in pure jubilation. This season, as had been well documented, was an incredible roller-coaster ride and this game was right up there as a highlight. It was a superb day and reaffirmed even further for me personally that The Chavs were now our rivals.
The return game that season was a midweeker and was a pretty fiery encounter. Tempers were frayed on the field as Ian Hendon and Dino Maamria exchanged a few pleasantries having both been sent off within quick succession. Though I say on the field, legend has it that after the mass brawl that Maamria‘s red card sparked near the bench, things were to carry on off the field too. Even our physio was involved on the pitch as things really got out of hand. Though the game ended 0-0, it certainly did the notion of a rivalry no harm.
The next season we were drawn together in the LDV Vans Trophy, or Football League Trophy, if you like. At this stage Barnet were already forging clear at the top of the league and this tie was just one of many things to look back on as this quite amazing season continued. The usual crowd of ‘singers‘ on the East Terrace moved to position themselves right next to the visiting The Chavs supporters to engage in some high quality banter. Some readers will be surprised to learn that at this point, the segregation arrangements were different, with the away supporters and ‘singers‘ not being positioned right next to eachother as they are today, something which is currently a hot topic at the fingertips of those who post on message boards, but I digress.
With Barnet winning 3-1, largely thanks to an imperious display by Nicky Bailey (what ever happened to him?) we notched our first home win over Borough in a competitive fixture, at the fourth attempt. In the league, we were to meet twice over the Christmas period with the away game coming on Boxing Day. There were a ridiculous number of Barnet fans there, I‘d never seen anything like it. People were queueing round the back of the home end to get in and see the side who were a mile clear at the top of the league. Some fans even had to be let in to the home stand to be accomodated as the 1,400 seater away stand had been filled. People were stood in the gangways and it appeared to be two to a seat in some areas. The place was packed and the atmosphere absolutely rocking.
Noise continued throughout the match which we were to lose 2-1, having been reduced to ten men, again. The goals came in a five minute period in the second half, with perennial thorn in the side Anthony Elding again notching. He was a superb target of abuse for Barnet supporters, and it continued even after he left The Chavs. Grazioli‘s equaliser is worth mentioning, if only for the sheer delirium it bought upon the away end, of which there is a superb photo here. Once again we were going absolutely ballistic, I‘m sure there were a few war wounds picked up from that one. Health and safety would have had a field day. Still, we were beaten, for only the third time this season. Annoying to do so against this lot, if anything...
Just a week later and the Sky cameras were fixed on Underhill for The Chavs‘s visit, the bitterness of the defeat just past floating through the new years air. Such a feeling was to be allayed in the sweetest of manners as Ismail Yakubu netted a winner minutes from time after Borough had cancelled out Graz‘s first half lob. After Boxing Day, and the hype that had surrounded the upcoming fixture with plenty of noise coming from the The Chavs management camp (that‘s you Mr. Westley), to put them in their place and reaffirm our position as clear Conference leaders was oh so sweet. This was to be the last competitive fixture for some time. In fact, we haven‘t played them since.
The rivalry was growing quite nicely until we went and got ourselves promoted. They have continually failed to follow suit, laughably, therefore any ill-feeling towards them seems to have fallen by the wayside. No-one is really that bothered about them. Even I, with my previous apparent loathing of them appear pretty indifferent towards them. Yes I like to see them fail miserably every time someone shouts "PLAYOFFS!" at them, but there is no strong feeling there, not the sort of feeling that a true rivalry should evoke. Perhaps if we‘d stayed in the same league for a bit longer, the rivalry could have developed some more. It‘s quite a confusing situation. I imagine that many of the old guard would still look at The Chavs as just another club but to me they are still the closest we‘re going to get, as it doesn‘t appear likely that we‘ll ever play Enfailed again. If and perhaps when they join us in the Football League, hostilities will be restored, but many will await that moment with little more than apathy.
Who else is there then? Who else out there can boil the blood of Barnet supporters? My next candidate, is Leyton Orient.
Again these were very slightly before my time, however I have had a bit more experience of them. Promotion to the Football League in 1991 opened up all sorts of possibilities and heading into the mid-90s, clashes with Orient had become very spicy. In trying to get a feel of what it was like being a Barnet fan before I started coming along, I‘ve watched some of the old season reviews - on a tangent, how good are those Clayton & Clayton videos from the Conference days?! Much recommended if you can get hold of one.
One particular highlight came from the home game with Orient in 1998 where you could certainly see there was something a bit different about this game, both on and off the field. In a quite hilarious moment, Paul Wilson was trying to retrieve the ball from an Orient player who would not give it back. This resulted in Wilson grabbing the ball, throwing it at the Orient player and swinging for him, sparking a good old-fashioned brawl in the middle of the field. The officials had not a clue what to do!
In 2001, in my very earliest days, Orient came to Underhill and drove a nice big nail into the relegation coffin with a 2-1 win. An overhead kick won it sending the hordes of Orient fans barmy and pushing Barnet closer to the edge, which of course we fell off spectacularly. I could certainly feel a lot of emotion around Orient at the time and as I began to follow the club more. But similarly to The Chavs, four years of not playing them seemed to make that die down somewhat. It was to be 2005 when the two sides would meet again, my first live experience of us playing Leyton Orient.
It certainly had something to it, a big derby crowd at Underhill for it and plenty of noise to follow suit. This was helped no end by a goal within the first twenty seconds. However, it all went pear-shaped in the form of a shocking performance over the next 89 minute and we ended up beaten 3-2. I got the feeling though that like The Chavs, this rivalry only stirred the emotions and anger in some, rather than a majority. It strikes me that perhaps the same process occurred for those supporters as it did for me - where supporting the club after the Enfailed era left new fans trying to find someone to dislike and get passionate about. Orient appeared to fill that void for the 90s.
The return game was a great night, one of the best 0-0s I can remember being present at and a real derby atmosphere to accompany it, at least in the away end. As regular readers may know, we like to enjoy ourselves at football and this was one of those nights where a large group of us had been in London for much of the day having a right old session. This stoked up a fantastic atmosphere with many others in a similar state, as well as those who just hated Orient, and those who fancied a sing song. Our struggling side were buoyed into action and indeed recognition was received for the vocal efforts that evening. Again though, it didn‘t seem like there was all that much hate being exchanged. Orient fans seemed to have a degree of dislike for us, but nothing like what you would expect from a derby. They didn‘t seem that bothered by it all, and somehow I couldn‘t envisage that Barnet at home would be the fixture they would be scurrying to find when they were released.
I think that covers the main three, but there are a few more clubs who may be worthy of a little mention. What about Dagenham & Redbridge? All the credentials are there. Local, plenty of meetings over the years, a club of similar stature, so why is there little to no feeling there? Nothing has ever really threatened to develop between our two clubs.
The one main issue that tends to create a bit of needle is the presence of one Mark Arber in the Daggers team. Barnet fans have very little time for this man, and rather than directing abuse at Dagenham, all the bile and vitriol is thrown in his direction. This caused quite a fuss if you‘ll cast your mind back to September when much was made of the foul language aimed at him. Another name gets similar such treatment, however a little bit more on the jovial side. Tony Roberts is a bit of a love/hate figure in goal for them, and has been in that position for as long as I can remember. He is a massive wind-up merchant, occasionally you‘ll take the bait, occasionally you‘ll just laugh at him, but he is something that is missing from the game - a character. Shame he‘s so bloody old and he won‘t be about in the game much longer. I shall take much pleasure in telling him this in April.
But still, even with these possibilites, there‘s nothing there. No-one on either side has any particular ill-feeling. It‘s strange how that all works when you think about it. With the bits I‘ve described, it‘s quite possible that a rivalry could brew, and maybe it could do in the future, but I can‘t see it. I‘m barely bothered at all by Dagenham & Redbridge.
"Excuse me love, ‘ow do you spell, ‘Arrods?". Even big Fulham had some rivalry with us in the mid-90s when they were just a mere Fourth Division club. They sit pretty in the Premier League nowadays you know. Remember when they didn‘t have any money and they weren‘t that good? We beat them a few times as well. You‘ll have to forgive me on my vagueness on this topic though. There aren‘t really that many Fulham stories banded around. I imagine that most of their fans nowadays wouldn‘t have the foggiest idea who Barnet are. They play in the Europa League and all that.
Does a rivalry have to be THAT local? There was a fair amount of ill-feeling around the 2005 time with Carlisle United. You can‘t get much more un-local than that. It was sparked off with a perfectly fair and square victory in October 2004 which took us clear at the top of the Conference. Highly bitter about losing this match, a terrific spat began from the keyboards of Cumbria on the classic old haunt of Confguide. Little Barnet were about to bottle it, big scary Carlisle would come and take their rightful place back in the league, all those sorts of things. Hilarious it was, and it carried on for weeks and months after the 3-1 win at Brunton Park.
A great story emerged about champagne. Our female physio at the time was heard to remark "well we‘ll be sipping the champagne tonight!" after the game after some derogatory comments from the Carlisle management. Somehow this filtered out into the wider community and was commented on repeatedly in the run up to the return fixture late in the season. As it so happened, it was the last home game of the year, and we already had the Conference title wrapped up, having blown Carlisle‘s challenge out of the park.
In a fantastic act of salt being rubbed into the bitterest of wounds, the pre-match playlist consisted of Oasis‘ Champagne Supernova which would up the sizeable Carlisle following no end. And in yet more hilarity, having battered us all game, gone down to nine men, see us miss a dubious penalty, they managed to let in a 96th minute Giuliano Grazioli overhead kick to send the place mad and our opponents utterly seething with anger. Paul Fairclough was on the pitch in celebration, they didn‘t like that. The Conference Trophy was presented straight after the game, they didn‘t like that. Big Carlisle were well and truly humbled by tiny, insignificant Barnet, they most certainly didn‘t like that.
Let‘s face it though, it was largely forgotten the next year, and they were always going to be better suited to the Football League. It showed. Even when we defeated them up there, 3-1 again, none of the previous years‘ hostilities were repeated. They came to Underhill in February ‘06 and beat us as they marched their way straight into League One where they have been ever since. It seems a very long time ago since those heady days.
So I think that pretty much covers it, as far as our rivals go. As I‘ve said, I‘d be very keen to get your feedback on this, your own memories of the teams mentioned, or maybe others. Please contact us via The Mailbox to give us your views. Do get in touch.
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