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Barnet In The League Cup
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The Rumbelows, Coca-Cola, Worthington, Carling, Capital One, EFL, Carabao…
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07/08/2026
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This article has been viewed 312 times.
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by Max Bygraves
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A cup of many sponsors not with the prestige or national adoration of the FA Cup yet firmly one that has its place on the English football calendar. The League Cup (the above list is just the names when we’ve played in it) has been around since the 1960-61 season and served up its fair share of moments. Although Barnet missed the first 31 seasons of it, we’ve been involved in 46 ties since our 1991 debut.
With the unusual Saturday afternoon 1st Round to kick the 2026/2027 campaign off at at Cambridge, let’s take a look back at our adventures in it up to now…
The Rumbelows Cup (1991)
We only made one appearance in this memorably sponsored iteration of the competition. In domestic cups, it used to be seemingly that the FA deemed it the more games the better. A far cry from international breaks and cancelling FA Cup replays. Until 2000-01, the 1st and 2nd Round were always two legged affairs. Replays were also a thing until 1996/97 - with penalties brought in from 1993/94 to decide the outcome of the first replay. Prior to that, as many as it took!
Anyway, Barnet’s League Cup debut took place on the 20th August 1991 at home to Brentford. This match is much fabled and may well legitimately hold the title of our most exciting League Cup game of them all despite being the first. Just three days after our league debut which ended in a 4-7 defeat to Crewe Alexandra, it finished Barnet 5-5 Brentford. Barry Fry’s entertainers had very much arrived in league football. The second leg saw the fake bees triumph 3-1 at Griffin Park; Barnet exiting 8-6 on aggregate.
The Coca-Cola Cup (1992-98)
Despite 92-93 seeing a promotion from the fourth tier, a 1st Round exit to Peterborough United meant we had to wait until our third season in the Football League for our first victory in the League Cup.
Southend United away, after a summer of chaos where we were just glad to still be alive, saw goals from Tony Lynch and Alan Walker secure an unlikely 2-0 away win. A steady 1-1 draw at Underhill in the second leg saw us progress. Southend’s manager for these ties? Barry Fry, of course, having moved on the previous April just before promotion was clinched. It’s a funny old game.
The reward for knocking out Southend was a two-legged affair with Premier League side QPR. Les Ferdinand bagged for The Hoops in a respectable 1-2 reverse at Underhill before we were thumped 4-0 at Loftus Road.
In 1994/95, optimism was renewed at the club with new ownership, management and a young striker by the name of Dougie Freedman. He would announce his arrival with a brace in a comprehensive 4-0 1st Round 1st Leg at home to Leyton Orient. He also scored The Bees goal in the 1-1 2nd Leg as we cruised into the 2nd Round past our London rivals.
And then came Manchester City. Now, yes, it wasn’t the Manchester City of the past fifteen years, but nonetheless it was a top flight team filled with internationals and household names. This was before the weakening of line ups in the League Cup.
After just 27 seconds, Dougie Freedman fired past Tony Coton to put Barnet 1-0 up. Veteran, legendary Barnet ‘keeper Gary Phillips then had the game of his life and proceeded to keep a clean sheet. Barnet 1-0 Manchester City. Whatever happens, that result will always be in the history books.
Whilst the second leg gave supporters the chance to travel to Maine Road, it would ultimately prove a step too far. Freedman scored again but City responded with 4, Niall Quinn grabbing a brace, sending us to a 4-2 aggregate defeat.
Charlton dumped us out the following year at the first hurdle but in 1996/97, we were once again facing Premiership opposition. Having swept Exeter aside 6-0 on aggregate in Round 1 (did anyone reading this go to Exeter away on a Tuesday night in the League Cup?!) we were rewarded with an exciting draw against Harry Redknapp’s West Ham United.
In the 1st leg at Underhill, Phil Simpson’s early goal saw us lead for much of the game but a late equaliser from a certain Tony Cottee made it 1-1. It was all to play for in the 2nd leg, which ended in a very respectable 1-0 loss at Upton Park. Slaven Bilic on the scoresheet for a strong West Ham side. A young Frank Lampard came off the bench for them at Underhill, with Rio Ferdinand making a cameo in the away fixture.
The 90s were a good decade, weren’t they? Just 12 months later and we were back at it in this competition.
After a 2-1 defeat at Carrow Road, chances of progressing against Division 1 Norwich City were fairly slim. Even more so when they took an early second half lead to make it 1-3 on aggregate. However, an incredible final twenty two minutes saw goals from Greg Heald and a Sean Devine double complete a remarkable turnaround. 3-1 on the night, 4-3 on aggregate. One of those special Tuesday nights under the lights at Underhill.
The reward was a two-legged tie with Middlesbrough. Fresh from their relegation from the Premier League and runners up placing in both domestic cup competitions the previous season. Sure, Ravanelli and Juninho had gone but they were still managed by Bryan Robson and had the likes of Mark Schwarzer, the flamboyant Emerson and the recently acquired Paul Merson.
Merson didn’t feature in the 1st Leg at the Riverside. An early goal for the hosts was enough for a 1-0 victory, but they took no chances on their visit to Underhill the following week. Mikkel Beck and Paul Merson were the front two and both grabbed a goal in a 0-2 win. Paul Merson was once later quoted as saying the stick he received that night from the East Terrace at Underhill surpassed anything else he’d had anywhere. Some accolade given where his career took him. No cup upset, but acclaim for being mean. Boro would again go on to make the final of this competition - and lose.
Fair to say the Coca-Cola years were some of our most exciting.
The Worthington Cup (1998-2001)
Perhaps the least well-remembered sponsor? And certainly a shorter chapter here.
1998-99 wasn’t without a decent 1st Round highlight, however. Wolverhampton Wanderers were the visitors to Underhill and as the year before against Norwich, second tier opposition were toppled on the slope. Scott McGleish and a last minute winner from new arrival Darren Currie secured a famous 2-1 victory.
Alas, like Man City a few years earlier, the 2nd leg proved be our undoing. Wolves had this young kid called Robbie Keane coming through, you see. He grabbed a brace and his strike partner, former England international Steve Bull notched a hat trick as we were dumped out 5-0 at Molineux.
Two uninspiring years of draws followed. Bournemouth in 1999 were not the proposition that tie would be today. A 2-0 loss at Dean Court set up a difficult looking 2nd leg.
In the event, a real classic at Underhill saw us win 3-2 on the night (having trailed 0-2) and go within a goal line clearance at the death of forcing extra time.
Our final League Cup opponents of our first Football League spell were Wycombe Wanderers. Uninspiring indeed. A first leg home win and a hard to believe it happened Tony Richards long range effort in the away leg, but ultimately a 4-3 aggregate defeat would be our last outing in this competition for a while following the disastrous 2000/01 relegation season.
The Carling Cup (2005-2012)
After having to make do with the FA Trophy for 4 seasons, we were back in League Cup action under Paul Fairclough in August 2005.
A tough assignment was handed to us, an away tie at Bristol City, fancied for the title in League 1 that year. An iconic away performance followed, however. A magnificent 4-2 win at Ashton Gate, with Nicky Bailey’s unbelievable solo goal the pick of the bunch. The home fans left clapped us off at the end. Outstanding.
The 2nd Round draw yielded a home tie against Championship opposition. Plymouth Argyle were the visitors to Underhill on a September night that is one of the most vivid midweek games in my personal recollection. An enthralling game with three high quality goals ended tipping in our favour. A belter from Simon King and a delightful, deft chip from Giuliano Grazioli (having out-paced Championship Manager legend and real life Olympic Gold medalist Taribo West) led to a surprise 2-1 win. Uncharted territory awaited - The 3rd Round.
The following Saturday we hosted Rochdale in League 2. The Durham Suite had never been so busy so early as many congregated to watch the draw. The scenes when Claire Tomlinson informed us that “Manchester United” will play number 3… “and there will be a lot of very happy people in, Barnet!” There really bloody were.
Manchester United away is the tie every small club dreams of. We won the league and got this in the same year. Those of us around in 2005 were very fortunate to live it all. It was a surreal few weeks building up to the game which kindly fell during the October half term week. This undoubtedly helping to swell our travelling number to around 4500 midweek in Manchester.
The night itself felt a bit cruel. Many of that large contingent arrived late due to traffic chaos. Anyone arriving more than 90 seconds into proceedings missed the game as any sort of contest. Ross Flitney did not have the most remarkable career as a Barnet goalkeeper but he’s a name that will never be forgotten. Presumably nerves-led, he wandered just outside of his area to needlessly claim the ball in his arms. The referee, a Mr Richard Beeby of Northamptonshire (who foolishly had his mobile number available on the internet after this incident), seemed to take real delight in almost comically brandishing a straight red card with an exaggerated shoulder shrug.
Louie Soares was the outfield player who cruelly had to make way. Scott Tynan, who came on in goal, had to immediately face the resulting free kick which rocketed into the net.
There was a little more contention before United got more. Grazioli had the ball in the net. The flag went straight up but many still contest to this day that it wasn’t. It’s probably not, ‘what might have been’ but it might have changed the complexion a little at least.
In the 74th minute, United led 3-0 when we at least got our moment. A slip by a young lad called Gerard Pique allowed Dean Sinclair an opportunity. He went around USA goalkeeper Tim Howard and slotted home. There can not have been many goals at 3-0 down celebrated like that by any club, anywhere, ever. Total pandemonium. We had our moment; United got one more to finish 4-1 but memories were made that night and during that cup run which will forever remain.
Whilst wary this section is in danger of being overly lengthy given we’re only past the first year, we can’t just skip over the next one.
In August 2006, we were handed a difficult tie at Championship high flyers, Cardiff City. A final chance to visit the unique place that Ninian Park was. Granted, there were only a few thousand present for this unlike the famous league game in the early 90s, but even with their smaller numbers, it was very clear we were getting no special treatment because we were little old Barnet. A cauldron of a place but a proper old school ground.
What no one accounted for was little old Barnet turning up and playing a blinder. A brace from soon to be Championship bound (having just come out of prison) Tresor Kandol secured a memorable 0-2 win. Joyous celebrations in the ground before a very quiet exit out.
Our reward? Further intimidation: Leeds United away. Now again, it was a sparse Elland Road and a rather sorry version of a very proud club at the time. However, for sheer unpleasantness getting in and out of a ground this was very much up there. What’s that song everyone sings about hating Leeds? The game itself was a disappointment. Some felt an opportunity missed. Paul Fairclough decided to make several changes and a weaker Barnet side crashed to a tepid 3-1 defeat. It felt like they were there for the taking.
2007-2011 is a little easier to surmise. It should be said there were some great away days amongst these involving midweek night clubs, spending all night in a train station and various antics with a giant cuddly shark, but those are for another day.
On the pitch, we got thumped away at Norwich (5-2), Brighton (4-0) and Swansea (3-0). In 2009, a home time against Watford brought a decent showing, forcing our Herts neighbours to extra time before we tired and they beat us 0-2. In 2007/08, we did have an FA Cup run to more than make up for it, but following that one, our cup performances in
both were largely in keeping with apathy inducing football of the era.
Our Carling Cup tales did end with one more spark, however. And what else would you expect, with The Magician in charge? The second game of the 2011/12 season saw us make the trip to Fratton Park to take on a beleaguered Portsmouth side fighting for their very existence. They still had many household names which was a large reason for their financial woes. Whilst much of the country spent that evening watching their tv screens in astonishment at widespread rioting, we were similarly scratching our eyes from the away end. Lawrie Sanchez’s Barnet side absolutely played Portsmouth off the park; Mark Hughes’ goal enough to see us through 1-0. A superb display.
The next round could have thrown up Newcastle, Everton or Liverpool… instead we had to settle for a Tuesday night in Burnley. After a long day on a coach (the final time of that being the mode of transport, thank you), we found ourselves 2-0 down with just under 20 minutes to go feeling a very long way from home.
Cue more magician magic. Steve Kabba and then in stoppage time Ricky Holmes had us hurtling down the steps of the away end in delighted disbelief as we forced it back to 2-2. No fairytale ending however, Burnley won 3-2 in extra time and the coach driver stopped at a service station for hours in the middle of the night due to needing to have a break. Think we got home at 5am, feeling like we’d definitely had enough of The Carling.
Capital One Cup (2012 & 2015)
Another Football League hiatus limited League Cup action for much of this also forgettable sponsorship. Appearing in its first and last year under this name.
In 2012, a trip to Birmingham City very much aligned with the league misery we would endure for the first few months. Very little pride taken in a 5-1 spanking at St Andrew’s, with similarly hostile natives to Leeds a few years prior.
Yet after our extended break, there was some joy upon our return for the 2015/16 season. A draw that no doubt produced the odd gulp - Millwall away. On the crest of another promotion wave, Martin Allen’s side put in a dogged display with goals from John Akinde and an extra time winner from Andy Yiadom clinching a surprise 2-1 win.
Round 2 offered a re-visit to Molineux following our tie there in 1998. The outcome was the same, a home victory, but on this occasion a far more respectable 2-1 loss.
The EFL Cup (2016)
For one year only, the competition was without sponsorship. It’s the League Cup though not the EFL Cup.
We were drawn against Millwall again. This time at The Hive. Only 1410 people turned up. We lost 0-4. Next.
The Carabao Cup (2017-2018 & 2025)
In our final season before another unplanned and this time longer break from The Football League, for the second time we drew Peterborough away out first. An unexciting draw but a performance that was very much the opposite. A fine 3-1 win to set the tone for the new season…right?
Whilst things went from bad to worse in the league post-September, in the early season positivity an exciting tie was pulled out for Round 2. Newly promoted to the Premier League, Brighton & Hove Albion were the opposition at their shiny new Amex Stadium. Nearly 700 Barnet fans made the trip to the south coast. It was all a far cry from playing the same fixture in the 1st Round at The Withdean Stadium in 2008.
We gave a decent account of ourselves but created little. A second half strike was all to separate the teams with Brighton progressing 1-0. Upon leaving the ground that night, none of us probably expected it would be 8 years until another League Cup game and somehow 9 until a 1st Round one.
Why 9 years until a 1st Round game again when we played in it in 2025 you ask?
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that upon our 4th entry to the Football League we were treated to a first - having to play in a Preliminary Round due to too many Premier League teams entering later due to European participation. So just like this coming season, we began the campaign with a League Cup tie.
Barnet v Newport County - the best non-league team from the season before against the worst southern based league side. The glamour. In the event, it proved to be a game of note in a very strange way. Newport raced into a surprise 0-2 lead in the first half with two long range goals. It remained this way until stoppage time before, inexplicably, we managed to score in the 97th (Galvin) and 99th (Browne) minute. Like nothing we’d ever seen in any competition. But a reassuringly Barnet end to proceedings as we lost on penalties. A rollercoaster of events late on.
So there we have it. The League Cup doesn’t necessarily always capture the imagination but it’s not been without its stories over time. Some of those names we’ve encountered along the way and where there careers have gone since make for some interesting reflections. What it does feel like is we’re overdue some stories in this competition. Onto Cambridge…
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