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Story Of The Season - Part One - On Our Way?
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Our full review of the historic 2024-2025 season starts here covering August to October.
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By:
Max Bygraves
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07/06/2025
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This article has been viewed 11 times.
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Pre-Season
Walking out of the rain-soaked car park at The Hive not long after Solihull hit their fourth goal in the play off semi final rout on April 27th 2024, it was hard to imagine how the next twelve months would pan out. Desolation, misery, anguish. All the sad adjectives. The play offs had spelt the end yet again. Perhaps this one the most galling of them all.
Dean Brennan has told of how he got the management team together in the Brennan bunker for a few days after this. Minimal wound licking and a plan devised of how next time we’d be better. And how.
The summer of 2024 saw an early and exciting recruitment drive. Within weeks of the season ending, statement signings such as Rhys Browne, Nik Tavares and Mark Shelton were through the door. Anthony Hartigan announced as a permanent following an impressive loan added excitement. Before the summer was out, optimism abounded as ridiculous late additions of Harry Chapman and Ryan Glover were added. An embarrassment of riches.
Summer signings (1st May - August 31st: Rhys Browne, Billy Clifford, Myles Kenlock, Nikola Tavares, Mark Shelton, Anthony Hartigan, Nick Hayes, Joe Grimwood, Joe Rye, Jermaine Francis, Joe Kizzi, Finley Wilkinson, Harry Chapman, Ryan Glover & Richard Nartey
There were no major departures, other than the untimely ending of Harry Pritchard’s Barnet career due to injury. It was great to see, despite his departure from the team, he was still around the club doing commentary on games throughout the season. What a man.
An unbeaten pre-season set the tone for the campaign ahead. Several exciting showings from new signings and six wins from seven friendlies appeared to match bookies’ expectations. Barnet went into the campaign as clear favourites to win the league. When was the last time that happened?
August
Hello reality. The Bees kicked off their campaign at The Shay Stadium, taking on Chris Millington’s Halifax. Always a tough proposition and this proved to be the case on day one. Ben Coker’s first Barnet goal not enough to salvage anything as we slipped to a 2-1 defeat. HMS Piss The League appeared to have not yet brought up the anchor.
Things improved the following Saturday with a 1-2 victory on the road again at Ebbsfleet. A Callum Stead brace, the second a particularly fine individual effort, was enough to get us off the mark. We started the season with back to back away games due to work at the ground over the summer. This would lead to a very Harrow-based December when the reverse fixtures came around.
Feeling a little fraudulent so far. Forest Green at home the following Tuesday was to be my first live action of the campaign. Despite being in the infancy of the season, it felt like a big one. Rovers, just relegated from the league, had spent big over the summer and an instant return to League 2 seemed more than possible. We were the better team on the night, but it took a last gasp Zak Brunt winner to earn the 1-0 victory. It felt like the ghosts of last season had been banished on our first game back. Maybe this year would be different?
The good feeling continued the following Saturday when MASSIVE Southend United rolled into town. As usual, they brought half of Essex with them, but also as is becoming usual, they went home empty handed. Harry Chapman’s goal from outside the box gave us a half time lead only for free-scoring right back Gus Scott-Morris to draw them level. It felt like the tide was maybe turning in the side from the coast’s direction but for Mark Shelton to restore our lead with 20 minutes to go. Following this, Richard Nartey was brought on for a fantastic cameo off the bench. I alluded to making use of the ‘Nartey Nartey’ lyric opportunity in case this proved to be his only appearance at the time which proved to be sadly prophetic (near enough). Never to be seen at The Hive again. Minor cult hero status secured though, surely?
Nartey did make one further Barnet appearance just forty eight hours later at Maidenhead. This was a long-awaited first visit to York Road for me but it proved to be a bitterly disappointing afternoon. Despite some bright moments, it just wasn’t our day with some calamitous defending making things a little easier for the Magpies to steal all three points in a miserable 3-1 defeat. Given how the two sides seasons went on to pan out, this game was certainly not an indicator of things to come for either.
Our sixth game of the month proved to be the magnificent seven. Newly promoted Tamworth were a familiar name we’d not seen for a while following a descent but then rapid ascent back up the leagues. You’d be hard pressed to call this one a contest. As sensationally good as we were, our visitors looked sensationally awful. The season they went on to have (including drawing with Spurs in 90 minutes in the FA Cup) couldn’t have been forecast here. Zak Brunt took the plaudits with a hat trick as put on a show to run out 7-0 winners. Our biggest victory since the same scoreline against Blackpool in November 2000.
A mixed first month of results saw us end it on a high and very much in the mix. The squad had had the finishing touches added to it and there was cause for optimism - but some cracks were still perhaps a little visible.
September
The second month of the campaign started with a long trip north to Gateshead. The Heed a consistent thorn in our side in recent years, never an opposition we look forward to. Having also started the season relatively well, it was billed as a clash between two possible contenders. On the day, we were never really in much contention. We slumped to a 2-0 defeat, a third loss in four on the road with defensive frailties evident once more. This game was to spell the very early beginning of the end for Joe Kizzi. One of the higher profile summer arrivals with Football League experience was involved in further goals conceded and within weeks, was cast aside.
We had a chance to bounce back quickly with a home game against Altrincham on the following Tuesday. The Robins reminded us quickly that they were no mugs as former Barnet man Justin Amaluzor fired them into an early lead. A few were getting a little twitchy before Chapman equalised later in the half. It was a case of patience very much being a virtue on the night amidst lots of encouragement to shoot. Rhys Browne announced his arrival on his delayed debut due to injury by coming off the bench to score a stoppage time winner. For the few that had seemingly bothered to attend, it was a real moment.
It led to another significant one. Dean Brennan found himself the subject of viral fame across social media and Sky Sports with his post-match interview. Despite the eventual positive outcome, he was seemingly still fuming at something of a frustrating night’s work and the input of some fans - along with the absence of others. 900 in the ground that night, tops. Could the interview have possibly been in any way at all contrived? Maybe that’s a very cynical viewpoint. It doesn’t really matter either way. It created noise and attention around the club and proved to be the springboard for a good run. Character.
Braintree Town visited The Hive next. In a very Barnet sequence of events, John Akinde received a great ovation from the home support only to go and put the visitors ahead within a minute. You could only really laugh. Thankfully, the kind of “character,” the manager was after was evident in abundance that afternoon. Shelton equalised with less than five minutes on the clock and by the seventeenth minute we’d turned it round thanks to Callum Stead. A late own goal secured the points. This game also saw the debut of Bailey Hobson off the bench. Another midfield recruit brought in on loan from reigning champions Chesterfield. Quickly apparent what a footballer he was.
Back to back wins had put us in the mix despite some disappointment on the road. Next up was a televised trip to Wealdstone with a Saturday evening kick off. Having endured the miserable visit to that awful place the previous season, other commitments meant I couldn’t make it this time. This felt a harsher blow after proceedings than beforehand. Grosvenor Vale not a venue anyone will miss going to. We had to win by three goals to take top spot - and duly did. Shelton and Stead continued their early season scoring exploits, Harry Chapman famously left their captain on his arse before the icing was put on the cake by the returning Nicke Kabamba. Top of the league and our top scorer only making his first appearance this far in - it all felt like it was going in the right direction again.
Results like that make you go to extra lengths to then attend a midweek away game after work. Aldershot away won’t be remembered as a classic but proved to be another important step in the bigger picture. The definition of a bullet header from Kabamba, on his first start of the season, was enough to grind out the ugliest of 0-1 away wins.
September had turned into a very good month after a rocky start. The final fixture saw us host Fylde. This saw the ‘Fylde for a Fiver’ ticket promotion which appropriately marked our fifth win on the spin. Despite a dogged resistance from the visitors, two second half goals were enough. Kabamba made it three in a week within a minute of appearing from the bench before Stead wrapped it up at the death. Five wins and three clean sheets in a row. Very much good to be Bees.
October
Six on the spin to start October. Boston were the first visitors to The Hive on a sunny, autumnal afternoon. The Pilgrims hadn’t had the best of starts to their first season back in non-league’s top tier but seemingly hadn’t read the script when they took an early lead in this one. Backed by a very impressive following, they showed a sign of the side that would go onto produce an incredible escape in the latter part of the season. Though on this occasion, it was in reverse as their bright start would fade. Things were getting nervy until just before the hour when Stead equalised. Tavares’ first Barnet goal via a stooping header with twenty minutes to play turned it around and a late third from Kabamba completed the come back.
A brief respite from league action saw a second FA Cup meeting in three seasons with National League South side Chelmsford City. This proved to be a relative stroll in the park for a strong Barnet side - no replay needed this time. A 4-0 thumping of the Clarets at The Hive saw us rewarded with a Round 1 draw at League One Exeter City.
Following a trio of home fixtures, we were on the road to the midlands next. Solihull Moors, our scourge from the previous campaigns play offs lay in wait. Laurie Walker lined up for them in goal ready to give us a taste of the shithousery we’d so revered previously. This was more like following Barnet of old than this season. A very fun day out had by all in attendance with good numbers on the train; the only rubbish bit being the football. It started promisingly when Kabamba fired us ahead in the 12th minute but by half time it had all started to go wrong. Tavares went off injured on 35 minutes and by 38’ we trailed 2-1. Fair to say there was quite the clear correlation there. A fast, almost comedic unravelling. By 75 minutes, things had got even more ugly. Solihull hitting four against us once more. I must admit to having already been en route back to the strange Wetherspoons next to the NEC at Birmingham International Station when Kabamba and Brunt scored stoppage time goals to restore some respectability.
We remained top of the league on goal difference despite the Solihull loss but a real test lay ahead next. Both York and Forest Green had been in relentlessly good form also, making things tight at the top. A third consecutive midweek evening kick off at York meant the chance to tick their new place off for me went begging once more. An impressive 243 Bees did make the long Tuesday trip but it wasn’t to be a memorable one. It all looked very promising when Bailey Hobson fired us in front not long before half time. Ryan Glover’s chance just after this haunted us for months. It could and really should have been 0-2 before Barnet old boy Marvin Armstrong’s equaliser, right on half time. Disaster. The second half it did feel momentum was going towards the home side. A free kick where questions could certainly be asked of Nick Hayes in the Barnet goal was what tipped things in York’s favour with a little over a quarter of an hour remaining. Then in all too worryingly familiar fashion, just like at Solihull, another goal was quickly given away within two minutes and we found ourselves 3-1 down. It felt like a significant blow at the time as we slipped down to 3rd and off the top after just over a month there.
October finished with another tricky looking equation. Rochdale were the visitors to The Hive. Another side with promotion aspirations of their own and just three points behind us. This was unfortunately my first league home game missed of the season due to a last minute childcare scramble. The ability to stream games over the past few years has certainly made missing out a bit less of a wrench. Quite odd to be an armchair Barnet fan twice in less than a week. A bright start saw us go 1-0 up through Kabamba and just before half time a lovely curled effort by Ben Coker made it two. His excitement at this in his post match interview was amusing. Despite a very solid first half, the second half performance was more akin to the less enjoyable bits of the previous two away games. Rochdale pulled one back on seventy minutes. It proved a nervy final twenty, but we held on, even if not in the most convincing of fashion. An important three points.
Having led the table for much of the early Autumn, we found ourselves on 33 points, in 3rd, two off top spot come the end of October. The win over Rochdale put a cushion between us and them in 6th, but just five points separated 1st-5th. The six game winning run had made things feel we were charging toward a title procession, before consecutive away defeats brought us somewhat back to earth.
The clocks went back and we were about to go into the floodlights in the second half, muddy pitches and biting weather part of the season. Very much in the mix but it looked like it was going to be a real fight…
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