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Ah
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All Too Familiar...
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By:
Max Bygraves
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11/11/2023
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This article has been viewed 659 times.
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We don’t really do the big occasion, do we?
I write this as I board a train to Nottingham from Chesterfield for a night out where I hope to erase this afternoon’s memories. A well-timed weekend away with old pals set today up to be a good one. It still might end that way, but this smacked of Barnet.
Prior to the game, all was good. A number of beers in Nottingham before a swift train into Derbyshire to join the masses of really good Barnet folk in the Pig and Pump.
My Mansfield supporting pal also joined us and gave a very helpful lift to the ground, What a bloke.
I didn’t see out the duration of the 90 however. I took my leave moments before it went 4-0. Call me a shit fan but it was a choice of the 17:22 or 17:59 train and frankly, I didn’t need any additional time in Derbyshire. What a horribly long walk to the station that was in the dark. Bring back Saltergate. For what it’s worth, my train was delayed until 17:41. Cheers.
Today really felt like a big occasion. Whatever the official final number, that was a proper away support. 600+ that far from home for a club with our average gates is ridiculous. It was fun before the game making lots of noise under the stand with the gathered masses.
During the first half, we acquitted ourselves very well. An effort off the bar not long before half time and one off the line could have resulted in a very different story. In a game like this one, you have to make that count and ultimately, we’d go on to pay the penalty.
The buzz amongst the away support was fantastic into half time. We all knew we were probably unlikely to do it, but there was a real energy of positivity in the concourse at the break. I’d say it was a bit more than ‘just glad to be there,’ but acknowledgment of how much better this is than just a few years ago was prevalent.
What happened after that second half whistle is best condensed as much as possible.
They looked like they’d had a rocket and fair to say, it had done its job. We were a shadow of our first half selves as a true capitulation followed
Will Grigg was on fire, amongst others. I felt dirty for my enjoyment of said chant when it France during the Euro 2016 championships. It’s over for us, Will.
3-0 down, I had a call to make on staying until the bitter end and miserably clapping the team or making an exit to go and have fun. As luck conspired, I made it to the train station in time for an earlier train, but it was twenty minutes late.
Thanks to an unexpected rendezvous with several familiar faces on a dark, cold platform 2 at Chesterfield station before boarding my train, I was filled on what I missed.
As I left, the ground erupted for number four. That was horrible. But we did summon up the fight for two goals back. I’m informed that our number 7 did some brilliant work for one and that both were good goals. I’ll wait for the footage before I comment. Credit where it’s due for not just giving up.
The cliche at this point is to say “perspective.”
I really want to avoid being that person, but I don’t think we can publish without acknowledgment. This weekend two years ago we went to Wealdstone. We lost 1-0 on a very miserable afternoon. We were so far off it. Where we are now as a team and to an extent, a club, seemed a complete pipe dream.
That was my first away game in years. Post podcast too, it definitely sparked something in me. Who knows why. And here we are now. Despite the disappointment of today, it does feel quite right in the Barnet scheme of things. It’s what we do.
Let’s please all try and not panic. Easier said than done but we are going in the right direction. Dean Brennan is a genius.
Great to see so many faces jump on the Barnet entertainment wagon today. Continue to drive this hugely positive belief and momentum. Wembley could really happen.
It’s gutting this wasn’t a write up about a famous victory which put us in the driving seat. Our time will come.
We are Barnet, from Underhill…
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