In years to come, a midweek 2-0 pleasingly routine victory over a beleaguered Rochdale side is not likely to be one that lives long in the memory. What I hope is that on an evening where many didn't make it over to the The Hive, we truly started on the road back home.
Prior to the game, the official launch of the Bring Barnet Back campaign spread across social media, spearheaded by the following emotive video:
The website is now also live: Bring Barnet Back - if you haven't done so already, please join the 1000+ who have already expressed support for the campaign by signing up to the mailing list and staying in the loop!
Bring Barnet Back is going to be a big, community effort and your input is needed to make this dream a reality! Please get in touch via the website or email directly to info@bringbarnetback.com if you have any ideas, time to spare or specific talents you think may help the cause. This needs to be a positive coming together of anyone passionate about both Barnet FC and the vital role it can play in its home community's future.
Downhill Second Half are delighted to be playing whatever small role we can in pushing this initiative towards the successful outcome we all so desperately want. We'll still be rolling out our usual mediocre-at-best content, but do expect to see us beating the return to EN5 drum a lot moving forward, too!
Back to the game itself, as stated at the begin, 'routine,' would be the most apt term for the nature of this victory.
Rochdale are going through a tough time at the moment with questions around the club's long-term future being worryingly asked. Whilst their newly elected MP George Galloway included saving them as one of his campaign pledges, there can't be many 'Dale fans purring with delight at their current situation. Coming off the back of a sobering stoppage time defeat at Ebbsfleet on Saturday (that first season for a club in Non-League has so many of those 'look how horrible it is here,' type of moments), some sort of reaction may have been expected, given the clustered nature of the league table that has them and half the division looking nervously over their shoulder.
No response came and Rochdale found themselves on the back foot a little over a minute into the contest. Gatlin O'Donkor reacted quickly to a defensive lapse and laid the ball off for Calum Stead to give Barnet the earliest of leads. It was a dream start for The Bees and seemed to knock any stuffing Rochdale may have turned up with, completely out of them.
Barnet should have doubled their lead just after the half an hour mark following a carelessly given away penalty. Zak Brunt was given the opportunity to be the latest Bees player to end what feels like a perennial penalty hoodoo - but it was the same old story. A good save by the 'keeper, albeit with the ball at a good height for him, kept the score at 1-0. The search for someone clinical from the penalty spot goes on.
Stead could have had one more before the break but at this stage it wasn't feeling like one of those where we may be made to pay for a lack of being clinical. Rochdale were pedestrian throughout and barring one parried save in the second half from Keeley, they offered no threat of any note.
Arguably not really getting out of second gear, there was an element of frustration in not capitalising on the chasm in quality by adding a few more goals as the half progressed. Nicke Kabamba's introduction from the bench opened things up further - his nous and clever play gave Barnet more time on the ball in the opposition half and their defence were pulled from left to right and back again.
A second goal did finally arrive with just under twenty minutes to play. Stead again, following in a rebound from Reece Hall-Johnson's effort. Tonight's goals took the Barnet number 10 into double figures for the campaign. An exemplary effort for his first season at this level; a fine addition he has proved. His work rate throughout was as consistently tireless as we've become accustomed to. Whilst Harry Pritchard also had a performance of note, Stead had to be man of the match. You felt slightly for him being replaced in the closing stages when on a hat-trick. Another time.
Less than 1000 home supporters on a night where we moved back into second place going into the run in was something of a downer on an otherwise positive evening. The fixtures have fallen a little awkwardly for many with three consecutive home Tuesday games, but with no Arsenal or Spurs clashing with this, to record such a low number in our current context was a little disappointing. Hopefully many were saving brownie points or day out the house passes for Saturday's FA Trophy Quarter Final at Bromley.
Whilst this season has faded from the red hot beginning, to be 2nd, seven points clear of 4th, thirteen points clear of 8th with nine league games to go along with being two games from Wembley in the Trophy, you'd be hard pressed to say this isn't an exciting time to be a Barnet fan! If the momentum can build for the homecoming campaign off the pitch in the coming weeks and months too, this could be the best we've had it for a very, very long time...
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