When Barnet were 3-0 up against Lincoln on Saturday, I looked around to see smiling, joyous expressions on the faces of the Barnet supporters. I also looked over to the Lincoln fans and saw that they looked somewhat flabbergasted, and confused at how their team had put in such a poor performance and where losing so heavily against one of the worst teams in the Football League.
The first half performance was the best I’d seen the team play all season; I missed the game at home against Northampton where the Bees stung the Cobblers 4-1, but the opening 45 minutes sure made up for that. But at the forefront of my mind, only one thought was whizzing around by head. I could see the ‘inevitable’ happening. Having supported Barnet for the best part of my life, I have seen the club let so many leads slip. In my mind, only one team was going to score quickly in the second half, and it wasn’t the team in amber and black that I was thinking of.
And sure enough, within three minutes Lincoln had scored, totally against the run of play. Then, moments after that, Lincoln scored again. When Izale McLeod brought down a Lincoln player in the penalty area soon after that, I think I was the least surprised in Underhill to see the outcome.
Now, they say that one moment can change a whole season. Hopefully, that theory was proved correct as Jake Cole produced one of the best penalty saves I have seen to deny Ashley Grimes. Grimes surely must have felt so grimy and guilty at the final whistle, when the Bees supporters let out a relieved cheer after seeing their team win 4-2.
Seeing Barnet out of the relegation zone feels such a relief, albeit if Burton, one of the teams below us, actually do have so many games more than us to play. If Barnet play the way they did in the first half on Saturday, they should pull off a good fight, although I believe enough damage has already been done under the Stimson horror regime. With Fairclough reinstated as manager, the players look like they now have fight in them, rather than a pathetic whimper. I wonder what Mark Stimson must feel like know, knowing that he has contributed to one clubs downfall? If the Bees get relegated, surely, he must be the one to blame. His style of football was dreadful and the less said about his rein, the better. In my opinion, he was just a very large blip and he is thankfully long gone by now.
I have now made the trip to the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield, the home of Rotherham United, twice. Believe me, twice is enough. If you are ever unfortunate to go in the away section there, you will know that twice is enough, so I will not be making the trip up on Saturday! If you’re thinking about going into the away section, it is wise to buy a pair of very strong, expensive, binoculars, in order to see the pitch. Otherwise, the facilities are good, but I don’t, ever want to go there again. It is not a pleasant experience, especially with Rotherham’s Adam Le Fondre lurking about, in order to score his obligatory, weekly goal.