Since the Bees were promoted back to League Two in 2005, their league form hasn’t always been such that would gladden the hearts of many fans at Underhill. Barnet have only managed to make the top half on one occasion, 2007/08, and then only finishing 12th. On four occasions, the Bees have still been in danger of going down on the last day of the season, including, as all Bees’ fans are fully aware of, the last three seasons.
This lack of achievement has disappointed a lot of fans at Underhill but if you look at next season’s list of Blue Square Premier clubs then maybe we should be grateful that we still have a league team to cheer on.
Amongst the 24 clubs that make up what is often still termed ‘The Conference’, alongside less auspicious names such as Hyde, Dartford and Nuneaton, you will find a number of former football league sides such as Luton Town, Grimsby, Cambridge United, Kidderminster, Lincoln City, Macclesfield Town, Hereford United, Stockport County and Wrexham. In all, 14 BSP clubs have previously played league football and most of the clubs listed above – all of whom have been relegated to non-league football since 2005 – have bigger and better grounds than Barnet and would generally, I think it is fair to say, are seen as bigger clubs than Barnet with, generally speaking, a larger fan base.LutonTownhave even played in the top tier of English football and won the League Cup in the not too distant past. An achievement shared with another recent BSP club, Oxford United, now happily re-instated in League Two. Carlisle United are another club who have played in the top tier of English football who have played in the Conference in the last 10 years. They, of course, were promoted back to the league alongside Barnet in 2005.
Losing league status can be a disastrous event for a lower league club, though for some clubs it can be a chance to re-build and come back stronger. In recent years, one can think of a number of clubs who lot their league place but returned in better shape and have gone on to better things. Doncaster Rovers, Carlisle United and Shrewsbury Town come to mind, while in more recent years, Oxford United and Torquay have returned to League Two and established themselves as top half of the table clubs with the Gulls making the play-offs this year.
With just to sides promoted each season and with promoted sides generally doing reasonably well, no side promoted from the Conference has gone straight down again, the number of former league sides has grown in recent years as clubs new to the football league such as Dagenham & Redbridge, Burton, Morecambe and even more successfully, Stevenage and Crawley Town have started to establish themselves as league clubs.
A look at the list of clubs relegated from League Two since Barnet’s Conference winning season of 2004/05 makes sombre reading for former league clubs looking to escape the BSP.
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SEASON |
CLUBS RELEGATED |
|
2004/05 |
Cambridge United & Kidderminster |
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2005/06 |
Oxford United & Rushden & Diamonds |
|
2006/07 |
Boston United & Torquay United |
|
2007/08 |
Mansfield & Wrexham |
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2008/09 |
Chester City & LutonTown |
|
2009/10 |
Grimsby Town & Darlington |
|
2010/11 |
Stockport County & Lincoln City |
|
2011/12 |
Macclesfield Town & Hereford United |
Of the clubs relegated from League Two since 2005, only two clubs, Oxford & Torquay have subsequently returned to the Football League and neither of them came up straight away; Torquay spent two seasons in the BSP before winning promotion in 2009, whileOxfordhad to wait four years before their return to league football in 2010. Many of the other sides have become established BSP sides, generally finishing in the top half, but as this division fills up with once strong, established league clubs – its not that long since Cambridge, Grimsby, Stockport & Luton were plying their trade in what is now the Championship – it is becoming more and more difficult to get back up; a fact clearly outlined by the fact that only 2 of the 14 clubs relegated from League Two from 2005-11 have gone back up. The facts are clear and for recently relegated Macclesfield & Hereford it could be many years before they appear on BBC’s Football League Show again!!
However, at least the likes of Kidderminster,Cambridge, Mansfield & Wrexham have settled down to life in the BSP. For others, the times have been much bleaker. Rushden & Diamonds, relegated in 2006, went bankrupt in 2011, their ground then leased to Kettering Town, who, ironically, subsequently went bankrupt themselves a year later, and the club was dissolved.
In 2007, Boston United having been relegated from League Two found themselves in financial difficulties and were demoted to the Conference North. Subsequently, in 2008, the club were demoted to the Northern Premier League Premier Division. Happily they were promoted back to the Conference (now Blue Square) North in 2009, where they remain, despite making the play-offs last season.
In 2009, ChesterCitywere relegated and early on during the following season it was evident that the club weren’t going to be able to complete their season in the BSP and the club were dissolved. A phoenix club, Chester FC were placed in the Northern Premier League 1st division and back to back promotions have seen the new club looking forward to playing in the Blue Square North next season. They will compete with another former football league and Conference opponent of Barnet’s, HalifaxT own, who like Chester went bankrupt and were reformed as FC Halifax in the NPL Division 1. FC Halifax made the Blue Square North play offs last season and both they and Chester FC have the kind of fan base needed to help them return to the top tier of non-league football.
Crucially, both clubs have retained their grounds. This, however, is not the case for Darlington relegated from the league in 2010 and subsequently relegated from the BSP last season. Like Rushden, Darlington have suffered from financial difficulties partly due to their ground, though in Darlington’s case on a much larger scale. The club’s 29,000 seater stadium has proved to be a white elephant around their necks and has greatly contributed to the club going bankrupt. A new, phoenix club, has been formed but has been placed in the Northern League (Step 6) two levels below where Chester and Halifax found themselves. The club has appealed but there is precedence. Scarborough, another former football league club (relegated in 1999), were wound up in 2007 and like Darlington, were reformed, as Scarborough Athletic, and placed at Step 6 level, in Scarborough’s case, in the North East Counties League Division One. Scarborough, unlike Chester and Halifax, lost their ground and now play at Bridlington Town’s ground. Similarly,Darlington have announced that they will not play at their ground, The Arena but are expected to groundshare with Bishop Auckland FC.
For Darlington, a return to league football must seem a long way away. Since Scarborough were reformed as Scarborough Athletic they have been promoted to The North east Counties League Premier Division, but are still five promotions away from league football. For both clubs, league football, or even a return to the BSP, looks highly unlikely in the foreseeable future.
Maybe all those nervous 90 minutes at the end of the last three seasons weren’t so bad after all. Even so, I’m sure that all Barnet fans would happily look forward to nice mid table safety next season under new boss, Mark Robson.