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Foot On The Gas
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Wallop
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By:
Max Bygraves
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10/12/2025
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This article has been viewed 149 times.
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What a satisfying evening's work that was. Whilst Bristol Rovers are in real dire straits and on that showing, could be in for a seriously challenging remainder of the season attempting to preserve their league status, it's always nice to properly hammer someone.
It was a pleasant, unusually mild evening for mid-December. On a personal note, everything had run like clockwork in the get away from work-pick the kids up-sort dinner-handover to my kindly father who had agreed to look after them for the evening as my wife was also out process. Quite the operation to make a midweek game. Getting in the car, the Sat Nav even gave a pretty quick ETA to our Edgware outpost and all was good. That was until coming down the A1 and grinding to a very sudden halt due to a police car parked across the lanes and traffic being directed down Galley Lane at the top of Barnet. Nightmare. Via a considerable diversion, I finally squeezed into a parking space on the usual road at a little after 7:50pm.
Arriving at the ground with game in full swing, it was noticeable how much more empty Legends Stand looked than normal. Or the 'new normal,' I should say. Our first midweek game back in the Football League. 2157 for a Tuesday nightisn't an unhealthy crowd at all; just over 1700 of those home fans - although allow a fair bit of wiggle room for non-attending season ticket holders. Even with the bring a mate for free initiative, there's no deep dive required as to why it felt a bit more sparse. People don't want to go to hassle of doing that godforsaken journey midweek. I couldn't find someone to giveaway a ticket to. It's a shame but a fact of geography. Bring Barnet Back.
To the game itself and it was very kind of the lads to wait until I had just taken my seat to properly begin proceedings. A lovely header from our talismanic number 5 put us 1-0 up. A fair bit will have to change for Adam Senior not to be our player of the year this season. What a class act.
As with a number of our decent home performances this season, we very much looked in control after the goal. The scars of Harrogate two weeks ago and perhaps the less painful MK game a little further back still fresh. On the half hour mark, we made this pressure pay and in what style. Nnamdi Ofoborh only scores screamers, pass it on. As my learned colleague described it on our Twitter goal, it was mucky. In a good way. An incredible finish powered us into a 2-0 lead. Feels like the right time to use the word aplomb.
It really should have been 3-0 before half time. Their goalkeeper was the only one who could really come away with his head held high. He began his quest to prevent a cricket score with a fine save from Britt Assombalonga late in the first half. This the pick of the bunch, he had plenty to do. We were playing with real tempo and some lovely stuff. Deliveries in the box looked a lot more measured than in some recent games and we were unlucky these weren't more fruitful.
Two things from conversations leading into half time. It felt a lot like watching us in some of those games in the second third of last season where we just demolished anything in front of us. The second thing, a really surprising stat someone pointed out. Idris Kanu hasn't scored since January 25th against Maidenhead. We checked, it's true. For a player who has had such a consistently brilliant influence in a largely attacking capacity, this seems hard to compute. No slight on him as he is clearly doing a lot of other stuff but a bit of a surprise. Lump on first goal scorer at Chesterfield?
The second half saw the intensity drop off somewhat. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some fear that a rogue goal back for Rovers could have changed things entirely. But it never really looked likely. They were crap.
A steady stream of changes from the hour onwards, Callum Stead, Rhys Browne and Oli Hawkins the first three introduced. The latter's introduction a little eyebrow raising in the context. Always amusing to see him attempt to run on from the bench. He looks so stiff. There'll be games where he is an asset but I'm unsure how much he was needed here. By the end, two further changes saw loan players introduced. No shock at Winterburn, but the re-emergence of Joe Hugill was a bit of a surprise. He had a very tough start at the club during some very difficult games for the team as a whole. I'm going to try and be optimistic that Hugill 2.0 is going to be the signing we all hoped. Let's see. We ended the game with an incredibly attacking dynamic with the personnel on the pitch.
Midway through the many changes, we finally put the game beyond doubt after a perhaps slightly fortunate penalty award. Not too dissimilar to the one ten days ago, it was soft but probably (having yet to see it back) one the ref had to give by the laws of the game. It was very pleasing to see Mark Shelton immediately grab the ball and look to right the wrong from last time out. It was very much back to business as usual as Barnet's number 19 converted with a trademark cool finish to make it 3-0. He was substituted shortly after this to a much deserved ovation.
There was still time for it to get even better. With a minute of normal time left, Stead notched from close range after a smart corner routine. According to my accomplice to my left, we shouldn't have wasted such a good training ground routine when already 3-0 up. Maybe he has a point. Maybe it's as ridiculous as it sounded being said out loud. All the same, nice to get the fourth goal to get into proper rout territory. This had come just after a fine save from a Hawkins effort had been tipped onto the post. A shame not to be able to get the Hawaii 5-0 theme out.
Full time and this marked our heaviest win in this division since October 2012 (when we beat Northampton Town by the same scoreline on Edgar Davids' debut at Underhill). A really comprehensive way of turning draws into victory. All of a sudden, we're six games unbeaten rather than on an endless run of draws. This weekend's assignment at Chesterfield won't be an easy one, but looking at the table and on tonight's basis, who knows? No jokes intended when I say I would very happily take a point.
Before leaving, there was time for a lovely bit of schadenfreude. The 414 'Gasheads' had been largely pretty quiet on what had been an abject evening for them. Most had stayed but my sense was this was to make their feelings heard at full time. They didn't disappoint. Every arm flailing, gesturing, despairing arms wide motions you can possibly imagine. Not helped by only half the team going to acknowledge them and several of those choosing just to stand staring at them from a safe distance away. An amusing watch when it's not you. As someone rightly pointed out on the stairs towards the exit when discussing this - brings back some memories, doesn't it?
It's a regular reminder we give but especially seeing others in that sort of context, do all you can to continue to enjoy this wonderful era for Barnet Football Club.
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