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Owning The Colour Orange
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A fine opening display sees the Bees take down the money men of Salford.
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16/08/2026
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This article has been viewed 426 times.
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by Tony Smart
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The opening day of the season would be perhaps a little premature to label a game a 'top of the table clash', but with both sides leading the League 2 betting market and strongly tipped / hyped / fancied to be there or thereabouts, it may well prove to have been just this. In more ways than one, this would go onto bear a resemblance to the York game in February 2025. We were that good.
I'm fully aware that this could and probably will come back to make me look silly in a few months, and I'd still probably take play offs if offered it right now, but that performance was most encouraging and I'm daring to dream!
An early arrival to the Hive with my teenage son and nine year old daughter to try and get Ade Oluwo to sign our 24/25 shirt was the order of the day. I wasn't able to make the Salford home game last season so was keen to make sure I got it done without having to wait around afterwards. I was successful in my quest and we had a brief friendly exchange. Nothing that anyone doesn't already know but worth a reminder what an absolutely lovely bloke he is.
Getting there as early as I did gave me the chance to have a look in the shop, and subsequently weaken my bank balance on the new away shirt. I do like the design of this years kit, but the home one is just too bright for me. It does seem very popular though and may well grow on me the more I get used to it.
Over the pre-match pint in the Legends (after a typical Hive long wait in a relatively short queue), I gave a rather optimistic prediction to a few regulars that this could be the best time to play Salford, owing to a questionable managerial appointment who has no experience of the league. Not a bad shout if I do say so myself, but I certainly wouldn't have imagined how one-sided it would go on to be.
We started the game on the front foot with great intensity, and the lively Tom Knowles had the ball in the net after only four minutes, only to be disappointed by a late offside flag against Tshimanga after a chat between the officials. An odd one, as no Salford player really seemed to appeal, but it did annoyingly feel like it was probably the correct decision.
We continued to impose ourselves and dominate throughout the opening twenty minutes. Idris Kanu looked dangerous and was more positive with his decision making than at Cambridge. Ofoborh and Gallagher were bossing the middle, and Charlie Lakin was being a real menace. More on him later. But with nothing on the scoreboard to show for it and the odd set piece presenting itself to Salford, one could've been forgiven for pondering the cliche of not capitalising while being so heavily on top.
However, any such fears were very quickly extinguished when Oisin Gallagher, who looks like something of a cheat code in this division from what we've seen so far, found the net in the 24th minute. At this stage, I do feel it's important to remind all Barnet supporters that Gallagher is a loan player and therefore we are advised NOT to fall in love with him.
A quick thought for my daughter who was sat between me and my son, and received a simultaneous elbow to the head from us both in the celebrations. She dealt with it well to be fair.
A brief period of respite followed. It looked like the goal had settled both teams down a bit. We weren't quite as dominant, and Salford were able to get a little spell of possession.
But that soon came to a welcome end. We were able to step it back up and before long Lakin made the scoreline look a truer reflection of the half, when he showed superb composure to slot into the corner, after finding himself with potentially too much time and too many options.
Now, when we lost Callum Stead, I was concerned that we'd find it impossible to replace his energy, endeavour and work rate. Charlie Lakin today, especially as the game went on into the latter stages of the second half, was as similar in style of chasing every single ball as you can get to Stead, the only noticeable difference being he looks more like 'Bovver' from the film Green Street. Big fan (of Lakin, not Green Street).
There was just enough time for Knowles to be forearm smashed in the face, the Salford player to receive no yellow card, the ref to give us a throw for it and Knowles to stand on the sideline for way over the allotted minute before half time. Honestly. Daughter may well have learnt a new word during this passage of play.
It was at this break when I found myself in the queue for Wings Kingz with my kids. Not saying their company in this non moving nightmare wasn't interesting, but I did start wondering who would be gone first - Wings Kingz from the Hive, or the Aussie from Salford. Still unsure. Let me know your thoughts.
The early stages of the second half played out just as you'd want to from a Barnet point of view. Nothing silly and all that.
We had a great chance to make it 3-0 when a lesser spotted good Kane Smith set piece delivery (maybe highlighted even more so by now having Hartigan's 18 on his back) was headed back across goal to Knowles by Kanu, but his shot was blocked and scrambled away.
Apart from said set piece deliveries, I thought Kane Smith had a really good game. I'm yet to be convinced by him on the whole and find him quite frustrating to be honest considering his experience, but this was probably the best I've seen him.
Tavares and Collinge continue to be the current day Simon King or Gary Breen in the sense that of course they had a superb game. Again. You don't even have to talk about it. Cox behind them looks like a good fit as well. Off his line well, claiming crosses, quick distribution. Lots to like so far.
A series of tit-for-tat substitutions saw us go more defensive in our set up as the game went on and Salford gained more possession, but it certainly didn't feel like we were going all England v Argentina. We still had enough attacking threat left on the pitch and just after Paul Scholes had decided he'd seen enough, we sealed it.
Some tidy work from Nnamdi teed up Tshimamga, whose shot from the edge of the box was too much for the Salford keeper, and that was that. Wasn't it?
Well, not quite. The York comparison was enhanced when a late goal made the scoreline look a lot closer than it should've, when Oluwo headed home a very softly awarded free kick. Annoying, but fine, whatever. A great start to the season.
I'm currently unable to go to Shrewsbury as we're in Cornwall next week, although it hasn't stopped me looking at potential travel options in the aftermath of today's performance. Top drawer.
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