For each of the last three seasons in Npower League Two, the Londoners have gone into the final day battling for survival and each time, Barnet have prevailed.
Their latest bid for survival came at Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium.
Needing to win to guarantee safety, the Bees got off to the perfect start, Mark Byrne’s deflected free-kick settled any early nervousness among the travelling support.
On the two previous occasions, Barnet had won their final match of the season 1-0 and the early signs looked promising.
With Hereford, out to end the Bees’ seven year stay in the Football league, tearing apart a Torquay side who had their own concerns at the other end of the table, Burton drew level.
Jacques Maghoma fired in from the edge of the area to drop Martin Allen’s side into the bottom two.
Just before the break the hosts missed a gilt-edged chance to take a first half lead, top scorer Calvin Zola blazing his penalty high over the bar.
Even so, the Bees began the second half knowing they would need to find a winning goal despite Torquay’s fight back at Edgar Street.
Barnet’s almost inevitable winner came on the hour mark, captain Mark Hughes volleyed in his fifth and most crucial goal of the season to extend the Bees’ prolonged stay in the Football League.
Allen praised his side’s second half display at full time as Barnet continue to defy the odds and remain in the fourth tier of English Football.
He said: “The second half we played really well, we really stepped up to the mark and full credit to the players for that performance.”
Three consecutive last day survival missions look great in the history books, but for all Barnet supporters a season of mid-table preservation would be welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment