The two clubs first met in a 2nd round FA Cup tie in 1990 at Underhill and the game ended goalless. In the replay at Northampton, Kevin Durham scored the only goal to give the Bees a 1-0 win. For a long time, it was the last time that Barnet had beaten a league club in the FA Cup.
In 1991, the two clubs met for the first time for league points. It was in Division Four and followed Barnet’s promotion from the Conference the previous season. The two clubs drew 1-1 at Northampton, Gary Bull scoring for the Bees. In the return at Underhill, Barnet won 3-0 with two goals from Mark Carter and one from Paul Showler. Sandwiched in between the two league matches was an Autoglass Trophy 1st round match at Underhill which barnet won 3-2 with Carter, Frank Murphy and an own goal for the Bees.
The following season, 1992/93, Barnet won 3-0 at Underhill with goals from Carter, Showler and Brian Stein. The game at Northampton was drawn 1-1 with Bull scoring. The two sides met again in the Autoglass Trophy, this time in the Preliminary round and the Cobblers won 2-1, Barnet’s goal being an own goal. At the end of the season, Barnet were promoted from the newly named Division 3 to Division 2.
However, Barnet returned to the 3rd division after just one season and in 1994/95, the two clubs met again, the match at Northampton again ending in a 1-1 draw, Dougie Freedman scoring for the Bees, while the Cobblers won for the first time at Underhill, 3-2 with Barnet’s goals coming from Freedman and Alex Inglethorpe. The two clubs also met in the Autowindscreen Shield Preliminary round, Northampton winning 3-1 at home, Mark Cooper scoring for the Bees.
In 1995/96, Barnet completed the double over Northampton winning both matches 2-0; Jamie Campbell and Cooper scoring at Northampton and Linvoy Primus and Lee Hodges scoring at Underhill. In 1996/97, the match at Underhill was drawn 1-1 with Sean Devine scoring for the Bees and the Cobblers won the match at Northampton 2-0.
Northampton, with Ian Hendon in the team, were promoted at the end of the season and the two clubs did not meet again until the 1999/00 season following Northampton’s relegation back to Division 3. Barnet won the match at Underhill 2-1 with two goals from Ken Charlery and the Cobblers won their home match 1-0. Northampton went back up to Division 2 at the end of the season. In 2001, barnet were relegated to the Conference.
The two sides next met in 2001, in the 2nd round of the LDV Trophy and a Lee Flynn goal gave Barnet a 1-0 win at Underhill. Following, Barnet’s promotion back to the league’s fourth tier, now renamed League Two, in 2005, the two sides met again for league points. Barnet won 2-1 at Sixfields, early in the season with goals from Nicky Bailey and Dean Sinclair. Northampton won the match at Underhill 1-0 and at the end of the season they were promoted to League One.
The last time the two clubs met before this season was in the 2nd round of the FA Cup in 2006 at Underhill. Barnet won 4-1 with goals from Adam Birchall, Dean Sinclair, Ian Hendon and Magno Vieira. (See Classic Encounters for a more in depth look at this match)
Early in season 2009/10, the Bees produced one of their beat away performances in recent years, winning 3-1 at Northampton with goals from John O’Flynn, Paul Furlong and Ahmed Deen, his first for the club. Barnet briefly went top of League Two.
The two clubs met at Underhill during the Christmas period and the rsult was a goalless draw with the Bees going down to 10 men following the sending off of Dean Sinclair early in the second half.
In 2010/11, Barnet gave one of their best performances of the season by thumping Northampton 4-1 at Underhill, Steve Kabba scoring twice and Grant Basey and Ricky Holmes grabbing one apiece.
The game at Northampton ended goalless.
Last season, Barnet lost 2-1 at home to the Cobblers with Ricky Holmes scoring for the Bees and gained a surprise 2-1 win at Northampton with goals from Holmes and Mark Byrne.
Earlier this season, in Edgar Davids' first game as Barnet manager, the Bees won their first game of the season thumping the Cobblers 4-0 at Underhill with goals from Krystian Pearce, John Oster, Anthony Edgar and Andy Yiadom.