It’s fairly obvious which meeting between Barnet and Port Vale is remembered with the most fondness by Barnet fans. It took place on the last day of the 2010/11 season at Underhill and was a game of the most crucial importance to the Bees. Barnet were in 23rd place in League Two and needed both to win against Vale and hope that Lincoln City, two points above the Bees but with an inferior goal difference, failed to beat Aldershot at home.
The Imps had been on a terrible run and had been in freefall in much the same way as Barnet had been the previous season. Whereas the Bees had seemed doomed for the drop just six weeks before but under first, Martin Allen and subsequently, Giuliano Grazioli, the Bees had a massive recovery in form, taking 11 points from their previous seven matches to give the club a last day chance of survival. Even so, Lincoln, playing against a side placed 14th in the table and with nothing at stake, were favourites to stay up.
Barnet created some early chances with Mark Marshall, Clovis Kamdjo and Mark Byrne all going close. The Bees were fortunate early on when Vale’s Louis Dodds missed a sitter from close range, heading over the bar when he really should have scored. At Sincil Bank, Lincoln also almost went ahead. By half time nothing had changed, both matches were goalless and if that remained the same at full time then the Bees were relegated to the Blue Square Premier.
However, less than a minute into the second half and Bees’ top scorer, Izale McLeod, who had scored a hat trick to seal a crucial win at Gillingham just a fortnight before, collected the ball and set off on a mazy run through the Vale defence only to be brought down in the penalty area and a penalty was duly awarded by referee, Roger East. McLeod duly stepped up to take the penalty himself and despite the Vale keeper getting a hand to McLeod’s shot, his shot hit the back of the net to put Barnet 1-0 up and more importantly, out of the bottom two for the first time since February.
Soon after there was more news for Bees’ fans to celebrate when Aldershot went ahead, also from the penalty spot, at Lincoln. Now the Bees had to make sure that they stayed ahead. Then news came through that Aldershot had scored a second goal. It was clear now that, in all likelihood, Barnet just needed not to concede and their ‘miracle recovery’ would be complete.
Barnet worked hard to score a second goal that would make life more comfortable for them and the Barnet supporters, but despite some fine efforts on goal, including one from Byrne which brought a superb save from Vale’s sub keeper, the second goal just would not come. And if the Barnet supporters’ nerves weren’t at fever pitch already, six minutes of injury time was added on just to make the torture a little worse!!!
At Sincil Bank, Lincoln had gone down 3-0 to Aldershot and the Imps’ only hope was that Vale would equalise, an event that would keep Lincoln up and send the Bees down. However, the Bees survived the long, long last six minutes and, incredibly, Barnet were safe. For many fans, including myself, it was something of a shock that we had stayed up as relegation from League Two had been quietly accepted as likely for some months. I had to pinch myself for the next few days that it would be Lincoln and not Barnet who would be playing non-league football the following season.
It was probably the most exciting day at Underhill since April 2005 when Barnet beat Halifax to clinch the Conference title and promotion. It was just a shame that it was all about staying up rather than going up. And a shame that 12 months on, Barnet’s fans had to go through it all over again.
Barnet: Walker; Devera, Leach, Kamdjo, Parkes; Hughes, Deering, Byrne, Marshall; Midson, McLeod.
Goal: McLeod (penalty)