We're playing Accrington a bit later on. Did you know? Did you care? I apologise if I come across as suffering with a severe case of sounding like a broken record ahead of yet another away game which I have no interest in attending. I've been to some pointless league games in the past, but this one really takes the biscuit. Anyone going to this game wants their head checking!
I'm pretty certain that this will be our lowest away turnout since we returned to the league and even sometime before that. It'll beat the 38 set at Shrewsbury a month or so ago. I like to think I know a lot of the regulars at Barnet but I can not see, of those people, who in their right mind would take the time and effort to do it to themselves. It could be quite literally a handful. I remember 16 going to Scarborough for an FA Trophy replay midweek one year - it could quite feasibly be that low.
At the risk of repeating myself again, the reason for this is because for some time it has felt like the season is over. Noone is particularly expecting anything from the remaining games. Nonetheless, I don't expect to get an overwhelming end of season type feeling quite yet. So why did the Burton game feel like that. Aside from the abysmal match on show, it felt like our team were just going through the motions with little desire to put themselves in the firing line. That's what it felt like to me. Aren't some of these players out of contract next season? Shouldn't they look like they are playing for a new deal?
It points towards another clearout to me. Some players will go due to age, some are not up to the grade and our best two players - Albert Adomah and John O'Flynn are almost certainly going to go. So we need to find a couple of gems out of the middle of nowhere or we splash the cash on someone, and I'm not sure that the latter will be forthcoming any time soon. Normally I look forward to a new season, but at this very moment in time, it worries me.
We've seen enough in the way of lacklustre performances this season. Some weeks they can be full of fire and fight, but others weeks this fire appears doused and noone wants to pick up the baton and win a football match. Saturday's game was the latter, with the exception of a battling performance by Mark Hughes and of course Jake Cole who again made a good few saves to keep us level. These are my two contenders for player of the season. Cole for his endless string of match-saving blocks and consistent command of his box and Hughes for demonstrating the qualities he did on Saturday. His never-say-die attitude dragged the team to the point it barely deserved with a strong willed, combative display that epitomised what I want in a player.
Talking of combative, how about David Livermore? His no nonsense, bollocks on the line brand of tackling endears him to me though on the ball is a different story. He has taken the mantle of one of the most one-footed players I have ever seen at Barnet. Even more so than Frazer Toms, though not as fast and with a degree of ability. I like him, but the 360 degree pirouetting to get the ball onto his left foot is a little frustrating. Nor can I forget the comical moment in a recent home game where in possession, he dummied a forward pass perhaps three or four times before the ball rolled out of play in front of us in the Main Stand. You just have to chuckle at moments like that! Still, if we had a team full of players that had nearly as much commitment as him, we would not be in this turgid spell of indifference we find ourselves suffering.
Burton were another average team that we struggled to overcome. They had improved since the defeat in October where we put in an absolute shocker of a stint, but still they looked like just another of your run of the mill League Two sides who gave us more trouble than they really should have. As mentioned, Jake Cole was the man at the last for a couple of quality saves. How many times have I had to say that?
Across the field though we just lacked anything of note. Kenny Gillet came on as a sub and could well have got himself sent off, again, Albert Jarrett was busying himself putting crosses onto the first defenders' head and Paul Furlong, although a top bloke and a great name in football, was ineffective up front as much as it pains me to say.
I can't help feeling we'll be experiencing a bit more of this in the upcoming weeks as this season drags to its very disappointing end. I won't be at Accrington or Hereford, surprisingly, and if any are in Accrington now and end up reading this on Wednesday, hats off to you.
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