Paul Furlong

With many of last season’s players having been released by the club, prior to the appointment of Mark Stimson, Barnet Mad’s short new series, takes a look at the time the players were at Underhill. To begin the series, we start with Paul Furlong. Furlong began his career at near neighbours and rivals, Enfield and his career progressed to big money transfers to clubs like Chelsea, Watford, QPR and Birmingham City.

In January 2009, Furlong became one of Ian Hendon’s first signings for Barnet, while he was caretaker manager following the resignation of Paul Fairclough at the end of 2008. Furlong came on loan from Southend United and made his Bees’ debut in the 1-0 defeat away at Bury and scored his first goal for the club in the 1-1 draw at Accrington.

Furlong settled in quickly at the club and became a major part of the team’s revival under Hendon which saw the club climb away from the relegation zone towards safety. He quickly established a good strike partnership with John O’Flynn and in a spell of four matches in two weeks scored a goal which gained a point away at promotion bound, Wycombe, a goal in the 2-0 win at Gillingham, another club who were promoted at the end of the season, scored both goals in a 2-0 home win over Rotherham and the only goal at home to Bournemouth which saw the Bees secure their League Two place for another season. His goal in the 1-1 draw against Luton Town was his 200^th of his career. In all, he scored a very creditable 9 goals in 21 starts.

In the summer that followed, Furlong debated on whether to hang up his boots or accept the one year contract offered him by Ian Hendon. Fans sweated on his decision and in the end he signed on for another year at Underhill.

Unfortunately, the season didn’t turn out quite as everyone hoped, despite a very bright start. Furlong scored his first goal of the season in the 2-0 home win over Morecambe, Barnet’s first win of the season and the beginning of a five successive wins which took the Bees to the top of League Two following a 3-1 win at Northampton in early September, Furlong scoring Barnet’s second goal on the night with a terrific lobbed shot. However, as Barnet’s form deteriorated and the team subsequently went into freefall, Furlong’s form suffered.

After scoring in Barnet’s fine 2-0 win at home to Dagenham & Redbridge at the end of September, when the Bees still harboured play-off hopes, the veteran striker did not score again until Easter Monday, when his two goals in the 3-1 home win against Chesterfield seemed to have allayed fears about relegation. Furlong’s second goal, an awesome shot on the volley was voted goal of the year by the Barnet fans. It was the last goal he was to score at Underhill and a fitting goal for Bees’ fans to remember him by. Happily, Barnet ended up securing their place in League Two, while it remains to be seen if Furlong will call it a day or move on to pastures new.

Paul Furlong’s record at Barnet FC: