The latest in Barnet Mad’s series on players recently released by the club focuses on Albert Jarrett and Ahmed Deen, two cousins who have both been capped at full international level by their country: Sierra Leone.
Both players arrived at Underhill last summer on trial with the Bees and played in Barnet’s pre-season friendlies, impressing enough to win short term contracts.
Jarrett had played the previous season with Gillingham and made 16 league appearances in the club’s successful promotion bid to League One but had been released by manager, Mark Stimson, now, of course, Barnet manager, at the end of the season. Prior to that, Jarrett ad played for Watford and Brighton and had spells on loan at a number of clubs including Stevenage, Swindon and MK Dons.
AJ made his Barnet debut on the opening day of the season at Lincoln, with Yannick Bolasie partnering Paul Furlong up front and made his home debut in the Carling Cup match against his old club, Watford, having a fine match, his excellent wing play and incisive crosses impressing the home fans. He scored his first goal of the season in the 2-0 home win over Morecambe, shortly after, scoring late on from the penalty spot after he had been brought down. Jarrett and Bolasie both vied for the regular left wing spot and AJ was rather in and out of the side until the end of the year when Bolasie’s loan expired and he returned to Plymouth Argyle.
From the start of the year, Jarrett was, more of less, confirmed as a first team regular and was one of Barnet’s most consistent forwards in a highly disappointing season His pace and crossing was one of the more favourable features of the team’s play and it was a regular regret that often there was noone capable of turning his crosses into goals on a rather more frequent basis.
It was no surprise that Barnet fans voted Jarrett as Barnet’s most improved player of the season and it was no more than he deserved. It was AJ to that scored the late winner in the home match with Rochdale that guaranteed Barnet’s League Two survival.
So it was quite a surprise to see Jarrett’s name amongst the list of players released by Barnet and many fans have already expressed their disappointment at his departure. Whether or not, incoming manager, Mark Stimson would have wanted to keep him, having so recently released him, is questionable, but it is a shame that Barnet did not feel he had done enough to warrant his one year option being taken up.
Albert Jarrett’s playing record at Barnet.
|
|
STARTS |
SUB APPEARANCES |
GOALS |
|
LEAGUE |
33 |
12 |
2 |
|
FA CUP |
2 |
1 |
|
|
LEAGUE CUP |
1 |
|
|
|
JPT |
1 |
1 |
|
|
TOTAL |
37 |
14 |
2 |
Ahmed Deen arrived after having played for Macclesfield Town the previous season and made 28 league appearances for the Silkmen in 2008/09. Deen had started his career at Peterborough and had spells at Aldershot and St. Albans City before his move to Moss Rose.
Deen made his Barnet debut as a substitute for the injured, Kenny Gillet in the 2-0 home win over Morecambe and made his full debut at Torquay United four days later. Deen was part of the Barnet defence during the run of five successive wins as the club made a brief appearance at the top of League Two after an excellent 3-1 win at Northampton. Deen scored his first Barnet goal in that match, a fine swerving, free kick from just outside the penalty area.
Deen could count himself very unlucky to lose his first team place soon after to a restored, Kenny Gillet. He returned to the side at the end of October replacing Joe Devera as a substitute at Chesterfield and with Devera and Ryan O’Neill both out for some time, Ian Hendon decided to play Deen at right back. It was only a partial success and after seven matches, Hendon replaced him first with the on loan, Calum Butcher and then the returning Devera. Deen had often looked uncomfortable and out of position at right back, which indeed he was and this probably contributed to a poor run of results and the likely reason why Deen gave away a sloppy penalty at home to Bournemouth, which, thankfully, Brett Pitman failed to convert.
After that, Deen barely got a look in and a proposed loan move to Dover Athletic fell through as Daniel Leach and Joe Tabiri were already on loan at the Crabble and clubs could not loan more than two players from the same club. Paul Fairclough restored Deen to the first team for the last two matches of the season and he performed creditably. Deen seemed to have fallen out of favour with Hendon, having played well in his normal position of left back early in the season. The arrival of Matt Lockwood on loan from Colchester in January pretty much ended any chance of Deen getting back in the side and as with Albert Jarrett, the club decided not to take up the option of a further year’s contract.
Ahmed Deen’s playing career at Barnet:
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|
STARTS |
SUB APPEARANCES |
GOALS |
|
LEAGUE |
12 |
4 |
1 |
|
FA CUP |
3 |
|
|
|
JPT |
1 |
|
|
|
TOTAL |
16 |
4 |
1 |
Barnet Mad wishes both players all the best in their future careers.