My line of work is in education, so the late August Bank Holiday coming to a close always feels a bit blue with reality looming again. A very apt feeling and context as Barnet were given a harsh revision lesson in the realities of the National League at York Road against lowly Maidenhead.
For varying reasons, I’d never managed to make this short trip before. It was one I’d earmarked from the fixtures release to get to. An incredibly easy jaunt around the M25 and just under an hour from leaving home, I was parked up minutes from the ground.
York Road is the oldest ground in continued use in the country. If that’s not enough for a nerd like myself, a friend’s description of it being, “more Underhill than Underhill,” certainly grabbed my interest.
A sloped pitch, multiple stands, next to a train line, ramshackle but full of character - very much a bit of me. It’ll be a sad day when there aren’t places like this to watch football at anymore. Something very old school about no segregation and swapping ends at half time too. The friendly side of non-league. They had a nice little set up with The Stripes Bar in the corner and though not sampling any myself, I heard good reviews about the food, too. A place worth visiting, before taking the actual football into account.
We can continue talking in a positive tone in the first instance about the football. The first five minutes of action seemed to be paving the way for a most enjoyable of Bank Holiday afternoons. Incredibly, Calum Stead could have had Barnet 2-0 up on another day by 3:03pm. A mis-hit effort at the back post was a real waste in the opening minute before a one on one was well-saved but not terribly well taken from a man in current form you’d have backed all day to score.
Before we do move on, is there more context to Craig Ross’ reception from our fans some of us don’t know about? He’s not someone I saw many times in a Barnet shirt, such was my attendance during that era, but he didn’t half take some stick. All credit to him at the end for turning round and clapping the away support; a very different reaction would have been totally fair enough, had he been that way inclined.
Back to the game, on 14 minutes, the home side took the lead. Without the benefit(?) of yet seeing anything back and having watched it from behind the other goal, judgement of exactly what happened is a little sketchy. Hayes did appear to go down very slowly as he was rounded and it all felt quite inevitable as things progressed. Disappointing.
Despite offering little after Stead’s early attempts and being behind, there was no feeling of panic this wasn’t turn-aroundable. As we’ve already seen this season, we play plenty of nice stuff but the final ball was lacking.
Confidence perhaps wavered a little more when Tristan Abrahams made it 2-0 five minutes before the break. Again, from the distant view where we were stood, it all looked a bit easy for them. Carved open but well finished. An uphill task lay ahead.
Despite it looking unlikely, we did manage to get our way back into the game before half time, in the final seconds of the opening forty five. Stead claimed it but some contention over whether it was in fact an own goal. Not important. The timing of the goal felt very as the referee blew up for the interval.
There was still optimism that things would work out. Dorking away last year sprang to mind. You still felt we might have too much for them.
Half time highlights included a bit of celebrity spotting. Timmy Mallet, Maidenhead’s most famous fan was there with whacky headgear as you’d expect. Former Barnet winger Lee Cook was also milling about the outside bar area. Lastly, during the first half, Gatlin O’Donkor, last season’s loan striker from Oxford United was stood in the far corner amongst the away fans. Maybe just there to cheer his pals on or hopefully, more likely, visiting before the second coming of GoD.
Hope, optimism and anything resembling enjoyment were zapped from the healthy away contingent early in the second half. A horrible mistake from the up to now assured Kizzi let in Reece Smjth for the second time in the afternoon. It was gifted to him, but he finished well to restore the host’s two goal lead.
Glover had a chance to get us back in it again very soon after but shot straight at the keeper. There were some signs of promise from him at points but it was a largely frustrating first starting performance from the new arrival. Hopefully just a case of being a bit rusty with his final ball and end product. We missed the influence of Chapman from the last two games, although when he was introduced he also didn’t replicate that level. No one was shining in this one.
A glut of substitutions made little impact. For all the signings, the lack of a backup forward for the injured Kabamba is sorely evident. Stead was full on endeavour as always but is most effective as the second striker to that focal point. A disappointment on the subs front was Nartey coming on and then having to go back off injured late on. Hopefully not a recurrence of issues that have limited his football prior to joining.
The second half was as abject an away performance as I can recall enduring. Very much a reminder of the bad old days. By no means am I suggesting that’s what we’re reverting to by the way, but it had an unpleasant familiar feeling which we’ve been able to leave in the past (mostly) in recent times. My own record of away games attended in 2024 makes for pretty miserable reading. I knew I was right to think it strange I kept seeing us get results away from home in the previous calendar year. Never take seeing one for granted!
Credit where it is due to Maidenhead. They did a fine job on us and continue to defy the odds under Alan Devonshire. No wonder the hospitality suite at the ground is already adorned with his name whilst still in post.
The feeling after this one shows that 3 days can be a very long time in football. After Saturday, everything looked very rosy and on course as expected. This result certainly stops us in our tracks, but it is isn’t time to panic.
It doesn’t look like there’s going to be a Chesterfield/Wrexham/Notts County outfit this year. The league will be tighter and it would appear there is more margin for error. We’ve shown we’re good at lots of things already, but on this evidence, there are flaws which need quickly addressing and stamping out if we want to live up to our favourites tag.
We have to look to thrive on the pressure of being expected to win every week. It’s a fine balance between not over-reacting and being irrational in the difficult moments, but equally, there has to be a winners’ mindset this season. Given what we’ve thrown at it with the huge squad, there are high expectations to be met. We can put this one down as an off day at this early stage but as the season develops, excuses and blame pointing won’t do. Let’s hope this early setback can have the positive impact on getting things right, consistently, moving forward.
Tamworth up next present something of an unknown. Back to back promotions with their part time team. They saw off Aldershot yesterday, nearly beat Sutton and narrowly lost to Hartlepool. Clearly no mugs. Another challenge awaits, let’s hope we rise to it and kick on.
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