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Five Years Of Dean Brennan
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A Barnet managerial anniversary unimaginable, er, 5 years ago…
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27/09/2026
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This article has been viewed 217 times.
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by Max Bygraves
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After the tumultuous decade that was the 2010s and the first 19 months of the 2020s, the idea of Barnet having a long-term, successful mainstay as their manager would have seemed very pie in the sky. Between 1st January 2010 and 20th September 2021, no less than 24 different individuals (some with multiple spells, too) had taken charge of the club. From then to now, it has been just one man.
The Beginning and Prelude…
Back in the autumn of 2021, following a dismal 2-0 defeat at Bromley, Barnet were in the relegation zone of the National League, where they’d finished the season but escaped on a Covid reprieve, with just two points from the opening seven games. Another ill-fated, high-profile name hadn’t worked out. Harry Kewell’s disastrous reign was abruptly over. Stepping in, initially as yet another interim/caretaker appointment was the club’s also recently appointed ‘Head of Football,’ Dean Brennan.
This interview from just after he was appointed is an interesting retrospective watch. There’s signs of the Brennan we’ve all come to know so well but he appears somewhat stifled. Looking at it now, it’s easy to say him as Head of Football and working Harry Kewell would never work. What exactly does a Head of Football do? It’s fair to say now with the benefit of our experience since that there is no way it was all his steer on recruitment back then. Why not just bring him in as manager initially?
Well, this had been attempted already. Why the Head of Football gig was what he got in the end, only Kleanthous and Brennan would know. It might have all been different just a few months earlier. Brennan’s stock was high after guiding Wealdstone to an unlikely title win in the National League South in 2020, following previous promotion success with Hemel Hempstead a tier lower. Wealdstone had in fact just played Barnet for the first time in many years in a 0-0 draw at The Hive in front of a reduced capacity crowd in line with a brief halting of behind closed doors Covid restrictions. A not especially memorable first time in the dugout at The Hive, but a point that kept Wealdstone on a generally over-achieving arc as we spiralled the other way. Their success had not gone unnoticed and Tony Kleanthous made an official approach to lure Brennan from Ruislip to the venue where most Wealdstone fans would tell you should be theirs.
Maybe unsurprisingly given the state of Barnet Football Club in December 2020, Brennan decided to stay loyal to Wealdstone. That’s where we were then; a part-time side playing on a flood plain surrounded by tin sheds was a more salubrious environment than the toxicity of The Hive. Brennan stayed put and we got Tim Flowers - who lasted 11 games: W1 D0 L10.
Yet just a few weeks later, in February 2021, it all got very toxic at Wealdstone, too. A behind the scenes situation led to a falling out with the chairman and with his long-time assistant and pal Stuart Maynard. Brennan’s position apparently now “untenable,” in his words at the time and he made the decision to quit.
It was apparent in interviews he gave back then that he was keen to get straight back in. Yet maybe scarred by the bonkers experience of a short stint at Billericay during the Glenn Tamplin era a few years earlier, he chose to bide his time, kept in touch with Kleanthous and accepted the Barnet role that summer.
In the hot seat (2021-2022)
Saturday 25th September 2021: Barnet v Weymouth. 1269 people (143 of those from Weymouth) can say I was there the day Dean Brennan first took charge of Barnet. Mitch Brundle scored the first goal for a Dean Brennan Barnet side. That sets the scene somewhat. Either way, a 3-1 win got us our first three points of the campaign and we were up and running. This early statement from the Interim Head Coach an early teaser of the culture of togetherness he’d go on to build.
This article is of course about Dean Brennan and not me, but to give context to the lens it’s being written through: At this point in 2021, I was just coming out of my self-imposed Barnet hiatus. The move to The Hive and a stint living abroad had seen something very important completely disappear from my life. Yet lockdown boredom combined with a return to London led to the starting of the podcast in 2020 and as the car crash Covid season played out, I found myself drawn to watch. I was by no means ‘back in,’ yet but very much re-developing the interest.
I’ll be the first to admit that Brennan’s first game held very little significance for me at the time, though. I wasn’t there and the whole news was all a bit shoulder shrugging. Did you read how many Barnet managers there had been in the 12 years prior?!
Barnet’s form immediately picked up under Brennan’s guidance. A 4-game unbeaten run to begin with was cause for optimism not seen around those parts for a long time. Typically, my first time seeing Brennan’s Bees would come in his fifth league game in charge when we were well beaten by the newly-invested in Wrexham 0-3 at The Hive. Nothing looked like it had changed to me.
And I would continue to be a bad omen for Brennan in those early months. After the Wrexham loss, we went onto win 6 games out of the next 7 in all competitions. The loss? A 1-0 defeat at Wealdstone, the only one I can unfortunately say I was there for.
As Dean Brennan stood in the centre circle post-match with that motley crew of players having lost to a late Rhys Browne goal on that cold November afternoon, he must have been questioning if this was all worth it. Beaten by his one-time friend but now bitter enemy, Stuart Maynard, it was a win celebrated with considerable vitriol by the home support. It appeared Brennan was trying to keep the team on the pitch long enough at the end for the crowds to disperse. It was never going to happen. His nose was well and truly rubbed in it. A reminder that afternoon of the journey ahead that was required.
In early December 2021, the club issued a statement to confirm Brennan was still Head of Football along with being Interim Head Coach. In this, he was quoted: “I am happy with the current set up and will carry on looking after First Team matters until I decide otherwise. I will continue in both roles until I decide the time is right for a change.”
Cue some jokes at the time about the David Brent sketch about being how own boss. Obvious but unmissable.
Jokes and good humour were few and far between however around the festive period and into early 2022. No league win from December 4th to February 5th. It felt like the Barnet Covid nightmare was nowhere near ending. Amongst awful form, a 5 defeats from 6 in January/February not helping the mood. Humiliated at home to Chesterfield and Stockport with heavy defeats with the latter game also resulting in a very unpleasant story that made the national press. It was all so dark.
On the pitch, misery was truly compounded in a 1-3 reverse against Wealdstone. Oh and not forgetting getting walloped 6-1 at Notts County the Tuesday before this.
I had to really triple check the timeline was correct, but it was in the days that followed the Wealdstone debacle that an update was given on Brennan’s position. Perhaps not the one some may have expected, given results. His switch from the dual role to just Head Coach was confirmed by the man himself in this statement. It would be fair to say a few questions were asked at the time, given the timing. With hindsight now and more knowledge of his character, it’s perhaps fair to assume that turgid spell in early 2022 lit the fire in his belly to reset, make it his own and start over in the summer. Immediately his talk shifted to longer term planning. Despite our inadequacies, it looked already like there would be enough worse than us for us to stay in the 5th tier.
Consecutive home wins in March, a 6-0 trouncing of a sorry Dover and a narrow 1-0 win to end the Boreham Wood hoodoo all but confirmed National League status. It was an up and down ride after that to say the least. Bringing back to my own personal experience, my son had been born in the January so there hadn’t been an awful lot of going out around this time anywhere. Call it a very delayed wetting of the baby’s head but my first game for some time came at Dagenham on Good Friday.
Brennan has referenced this occasion a few times in happier times since. Just 210 Barnet fans made the trip to East London. At half time, we were 5-0 down. It was atrocious. It was laughable. It was pretty unbelievable. A second half revival saw us claw 3 back before tiring and the score ended a rather absurd 7-3. No, I really had never seen anything like it. It would be fair to say some serious questions were asked by some of his managerial credentials that afternoon. Some putting it more constructively than others.
We limped to the end finishing 18th with 50 points. There was only 23 teams in the league that year, in a normal 24 team one, this tally may have been a lot less comfortable. Kings Lynn, Weymouth and beleaguered Dover allowing plenty of breathing space. I wrote not an end of season review at the conclusion of the season. Happy to front up that I had a few questions of my own at this stage but, pleasingly, ended up seeing some of my hopes and suggestions come to fruition…
Starting over (2022-2023)
It had no doubt been a challenging first year at the football club for Dean Brennan. An absolutely crucial summer lay ahead. We’d decided to do the un-Barnet thing of sticking rather than twisting and it was apparent quickly that he’d been given the chairman’s full backing.
He quickly went about assembling a team. Out with the old, in with the new or in many cases, tried and tested individuals. This wasn’t a recruitment just about ability. It was about getting the right men in the building to make it an enjoyable place to come to work. Barnet’s reputation was in the bin. Years of often well-publicised toxicity going back to the latter stages in the Football League five or so years prior. A club on its arse, to put it bluntly. There are many pivotal moments that have shaped the success of the last five years but it would be fair to say the close season of 2022 has to be right up there in importance.
32-year-old goalkeeper Laurie Walker, known from his days at Hemel came into take the number 1. Experience, confidence, presence, shithousery. It didn’t take long to see we were in safe hands in goal.
A coup in the defence. Ben Wynter was wanted by a number of other clubs but chose us. We actually pipped Dagenham to his signature! That doesn’t sound like much in 2026, but it was in 2022. He’d be joined by a signing to make Wealdstone piss boil. Their legendary centre half Jerome Okimo coming on board. On paper, a 34-year-old who had been almost exclusively part time throughout his career joining in his twilight years raised a few eyebrows. He’d continue to do that in a different way once we saw him play. A leader among men and a calm head to support 24-year-old Danny Collinge. Where had we seen that name before? Ah yes, the poor chap had played centre back for Dover when they were obliterated 6-0 at The Hive just a few months ago. Hang on, why are we signing him? There’s got to be a few wry smiles feeling a little silly now…
A midfield that could run and battle. Enter Harry Pritchard from Eastleigh and Dale Gorman from Yeovil. Plenty of warnings about the latter from his former club’s fans online. But they did exactly what they were brought into do. An engine room to support the flair out wide of Barnet born Sean Shields. Who doesn’t like a ‘one of our own’ signing to raise morale?
Finally, up front, the new number nine was Nicke Kabamba. A Google search shows he played in the Scottish Premier League not long ago. But hang on, he scored how many last season? And he’s going to be our answer up front. Are you sure? We very quickly got to know, Deano knows.
And along with these signings, to generate a bit of feel-good factor, in early July the club announced an incredibly sensible buy one get one free offer on season tickets. The dice needed to be rolled. Whilst some had been unwavering through the murky Covid mire, the direction of travel in terms of support was very apparent. Loyal fans were rewarded and if the ploy was to get some old ones back, the offer of £8.61 a game was too good to turn down. Having been to The Hive about five times in five years prior, just days before the campaign, I took what proved to be a fine decision alongside a mate to buy the BOGOF and dive back in.
Brennan’s first full season in charge began with a satisfying 2-0 win over Halifax at The Hive. A decent draw at Gateshead was then followed up with a fantastic 1-2 win at Yeovil. A second half brace for Kabamba made it 3 in 3 and, almost inexplicably, put Barnet top of the National League. It didn’t matter how early in the campaign it was, after the previous few years, this was excitement that for a time felt completely out of reach. We even stayed there with a home win against Woking before a defeat at Chesterfield got us scaling back our thoughts a little.
In the midst of this early season excitement, we lost our star man. Ephron Mason-Clark had come through the youth system and made 185 appearances for the club. A diamond in the extreme rough in the past two seasons, he got his big break going to Peterborough and just a few years on, he is now playing Premier League football. This could have been damaging and knocked the early season positivity. However, a young lad called Idris Kanu moved in the other direction down the A1 soon after. Brennan’s recruitment nous was again quickly highlighted.
It was an inconsistent first few months for the new team. It was clear from the off that we’d recruited an honest and likeable bunch, but certainly not without flaw. A 0-5 rout at home to York in October caused all kinds of traumatic flashbacks of the previous two years. A bonkers 7-5 loss at Wrexham followed and this proved to be a bit of turning point. From mid-November until February, we didn’t lose.
Two seasons prior, we lost pretty much every single game in that same timespan. Everything just seemed to click. Confidence grew, positivity amongst the fanbase and for the first time in years, a connection was forged between the supporters and the team. We very quickly got to learn all about “togetherness.”
12 league games unbeaten including a 6-game winning streak which came to an end on Valentine’s Day at Notts County. We saw the first examples of ruthless change when he saw fit. Sean Shields starting the season looked like he’d be a key player, but was gone by the end of January. Further additions were added to bolster firepower including the coup of getting Harry Smith on loan. Emmanuel Fernandez joined from Peterborough for a largely unremarkable spell but just a few years later was a regular for Rangers. He can pick a player, can’t he?
As Barnet motored on towards the play-offs and with the dream of Wembley in the FA Trophy very real, it was clear this was Brennan’s vision all along. Standards and expectations had gone from the floor to the ceiling. In early January, another unheard-of moment - the manager signed a new long term deal. Interestingly, in this article it says he also remains Head of Football. I’m not going to split hairs on what his job actually is. We’ll call him the manager.
In a season of many happy moments, The FA Trophy quarter final at Maidstone stood out. Backed by a vociferous Barnet following, we held our nerve to make it through on penalties. The scenes of jubilation at the end of that day hadn’t been seen in getting towards a generation. Deano had us all believing. He was making it exciting again. Pride has been restored in the name and the shirt at a rate none of us were perhaps truly expecting. A wonderful March saw other memorable away wins at Southend and Wealdstone. What a time to be a Bee. The Irishman had us head over heels with our club once more.
From relegation fodder to making the play offs comfortably - with 2 games to spare. Before that, came the devastating Trophy semi-final loss at Gateshead. Some questions were and will always be asked about his choice of the starting eleven that day. The second half fight back showed the stacks of character and desire amongst his squad. There’s no getting away from that being a painful moment in Brennan’s time at Barnet. However, we dusted ourselves down and looked to make Wembley via the play-offs instead.
The defeat there to Boreham Wood was an unpleasant evening but it didn’t leave any long term hurt or anguish. Not our best night but the distance we’d come in a short space of time was phenomenal. Brennan immediately started looking forward to building on this success. To go from 18th to 5th was massive, but not enough for the Irishman…
Character Building (2023-2024)
In a very short space of time, we’d gone from languishing at the wrong end of the National League to being seen as a serious contender once more. Brennan had galvanised not only fortunes on the pitch but the club as a whole. Crowds were higher, more and more old faces coming back, positivity and optimism abounding. Just 12 months on from a summer where we so hoped we might get it right to not be embarrassed again; all talk now was of aiming even higher than the 5th place just gone.
The spine of the team was retained with some strong additions. Oluwo, Brunt, Coker, Stead and Hartigan would all go on to play major roles in the next two years. Players of varying experience, career history and playing style. A blend of unproven raw talent and pedigree.
It was quickly apparent that we’d “upgraded,” to use a regular turn of Brennan phrase. A fine start to the season looked more assured than the one before. It didn’t feel like this was a load of randoms thrown together and we might just be lucky.
A late Ade Oluwo header on the first weekend of September secured a maiden win at Boreham Wood. This sent us top of the league in front of a sizeable away contingent. It didn’t just feel like the good times were back, but that this was perhaps just the start. One of the most assured Barnet displays I’ve ever seen the week after saw some sensational football on show as we swept Altrincham aside 3-0 at The Hive. Excitement was really building.
Form didn’t maintain to this exceptionally high level but it was clear we had gone up a gear on the year before. We entered October very much at the top end of things. A last gasp win after a poor performance against Fylde showed we could grind it out. Then just a few days later, character displayed in abundance. An atrocious first half saw us trailing 2-0 at Dorking Wanderers. The outlook was bleak but something must have happened in that changing room at half time. Who knows what he said? The response was huge. An inspired comeback saw us run out 2-3 winners and create an away day memory for the ages.
Another unbeaten run was in full swing. Talk of another play off charge was being replaced now by talk of the title. Chesterfield clearly had other ideas about this and were also on the charge. It all came to a bit of a crescendo on Remembrance Day with a trip to Derbyshire.
664 Barnet fans made the journey north. We were taking 200 or less to games within an hour’s distance just over a year before. This felt proper. A big crowd, a lively atmosphere, two decent teams.
It wasn’t to be. A strong first half showing and 0-0 at the break, before a second half capitulation saw us 4-0 down prior to a late rally to make it more respectable (4-2).
The title bubble very much burst and what happened next was unfamiliar territory to Brennan’s Barnet. A week later we lost 0-2 at home to Gateshead; midweek after that 1-4 against Oldham and then perhaps most galling of all, the following Saturday, a stoppage time 3-2 defeat Wealdstone of all places. After pretty much consistent ‘feel good factor’ for well over a year, this miserable November fortnight perhaps served as a reality check to all.
In the run up to Christmas, we were shown on ITV live for the first time ever, hosting an FA Cup 2nd Round Replay against Newport County. Confidence was high and a winnable 3rd round in wait against Eastleigh had many dreaming of a very deep FA Cup run. That dream was short lived as, on a freezing cold night, we completely froze. A 1-4 hiding. Newport went onto play Manchester United in Round 4. Ouch.
It was around this time that the first questions were being asked by some quarters about Dean Brennan. Can he do when the pressure is on? Can Barnet win big matches under his guidance? It was slightly juxtaposed by the fact this was the man that had all but single handedly got us playing big matches once more. However, Gateshead, Boreham Wood, Chesterfield and Newport in just over 8 months all signified real missed opportunities of differing kinds.
Spirits were lifted and any dissenting voices quietened by a glorious nine-point Christmas. A league double over Southend, with clean sheets to boot sandwiched either side of a tremendously satisfying humbling of Boreham Wood. So often a scourge in our relatively recent history of meeting them in competitive games - beating them 6-0 two days before Christmas was the gift we all wanted. A relentless performance, to coin a Brennanism.
Yet at the beginning of 2024, more questions, a fair bit of shock and in some factions, total uproar. Laurie Walker, who had become a huge fan favourite and been a very dependable number 1 for the past year and half was suddenly out. After arguably his best ever performance in a Barnet shirt against Southend, just a few days later young Spurs keeper Josh Keeley was announced as a new loan signing.
Keeley has since gone on to play at a higher level and receive Irish international recognition. However, it wasn’t immediately apparent on a consistent basis what level he could perform to. Wobbly team form and a howling mistake against Wealdstone in the dying seconds on a poisonous afternoon at The Hive (very much imported poison from that lot) did this talking point no favours. It would prove not to be the only time Brennan would make a snap call like this and it was clear for all to see that he wasn’t a man to be crossed.
Such were the rise in expectations, it felt like a bit of a disjointed second half of the season for the most part. A dismal Quarter Final loss in the FA Trophy at Bromley not one to look back on fondly.
However, a fortnight after this we won 6-0 for the second time in a season, Dorking Wanderers the victims this time as we simply blew them away. We then did the very unusual thing of finishing the season strongly going into the play offs. A superb eight game unbeaten run to end the season meant we finished in 2nd. Chesterfield had tied up the title in March but we were very much the best of the rest. Whereas in pretty much every other play off venture before we had gone into them limping over the line, this time things might be different.
We had never had a better chance to end the Wembley visit wait. 1972 is a very long time ago. The task was simple. Beat Solihull Moors at home and we were going to Wembley and be 90 minutes from a Football League return. The anticipation. The excitement. Followed by the abject horror and numbing reality.
At a rain sodden Hive, it really was pathetic fallacy in action. Barnet 0-4 Solihull Moors. Even by our standards of disappointment in the play offs, this was a new low. Nothing went right and the dream was dead for another year.
In his post match interview, he was brutally honest and gave a damning assessment of our ability in the big games. Followed by the line: “I know what needs to happen now…”
Champions (2024-2025)
In the wake of that Solihull, Brennan and backroom team headed for the bunker. A brief wallow, some whisky (I believe that was the tipple of choice) and quick reflection before plans were made in earnest to very much go again.
Shortly after this and before a flurry of very early transfer activity, there was a well-publicised approach by Swindon Town. Would this be it? The usual thing of someone doing well in the small Barnet pond to then be snapped up by a bigger fish. Not Dean Brennan. This was a shot in the arm for all after the play off hurt. The cold light of day had given perspective on the progress made so far: 18th > 5th > 2nd. Could we make the obvious next step?
Business was done early and it appeared astute. Laurie Walker was an expected departure and due to a serious back problem, Harry Pritchard also left the club. Two of the spine gone, despite the sadness of losing two players who really instilled pride in the shirt, it was clear the team was in the next stage of evolution.
Anthony Hartigan, who had looked a class above on loan, was a standout announcement as a permanent signing and duly handed the armband. Nik Tavares wasn’t a wow name on paper but very quickly it was clear what an unbelievable addition he’d be. Kenlock, Shelton, Chapman and Browne all differing players who would add various elements of quality. The cherry on top perhaps the slightly later, mid-August arrival of winger Ryan Glover.
Brennan was bullish from the outset in what he was aiming for. Barnet were starting a season as favourites for the title. It had been some time since we were here. With a number of heavyweights back in the league, no one could deny there wasn’t an opportunity to be taken but questions lingered about the mentality and being able to take the next step.
This wasn’t helped by an underwhelming opening day loss at Halifax. No panic from Brennan however and much of August went on to then justify the excitement at the side he’d put together and what they might be capable of. This was until a break slamming 3-1 loss at Maidenhead United on the August Bank Holiday made it two defeats in the first five.
It’s hard to almost remember this now but it was almost a little Jekyll and Hyde for this very short spell. Tamworth were obliterated 7-0, our biggest victory since winning by that same margin in November 2000, only for that to be followed by a disappointing loss at Gateshead.
Now if you’ve read this far, I doubt very much I’m given any sort of spoiler away when I say that for a team to win the league you need big moments and real defining turning points.
Tuesday 10th September 2024 was one of those. In front of a very sparse Hive crowd, we had laboured against a tricky Altrincham side and looked set to have to settle for a draw. Not the sort of outcome that would satisfy potential champions.
In the 92nd minute, Rhys Browne nudges in a winner. It’s relief. It’s joy. It’s a big three points. But in the wake of it, no one was really talking about the game.
Dean Brennan was not happy despite the result. His stock may have risen considerably already by this point, but he was soon to become a really well-known figure. This was the night of the famous, viral Character video. What can you say?
There was some speculation after that this was perhaps contrived. Whether it was or not, proved to not really matter. It worked. A phrase was born. A bit of a siege mentality shared. Whilst not in the numbers hoped, crowds did rise and most important of all, we started winning football matches. A lot of them.
On the back of the character rant, Barnet won 6 league games (and 1 FA Cup) in succession to ascent to the top of the league. A 0-3 cruise at Wealdstone arguably the stand out and perhaps most satisfying. But we were really purring and starting to look like we were living up to the pre-season tag.
Hold your horses. Bloody Solihull again. A mid-October visit there, with Laurie Walker now between the sticks for them, ended with us conceding another 4 goals against them. A little like Chesterfield a year earlier, a late charge pulled a couple back but it ended 4-3. Following this, it was a Tuesday night visit to York for an early season top of the table clash. Recent loan arrival Bailey Hobson had fired us in front and Ryan Glover should really have doubled the lead before the break but it was still looking good. Cue another second half collapse and another big game defeat (3-1). Those pesky questions and memories of last season refusing to totally go away…
A few weeks of muddling along and then, yep, another turning point. Another moment. Another event to galvanise and kick on from.
Dagenham & Redbridge has often been an unhappy hunting ground for us. With results elsewhere not looking great, 3-1 down just after half time it was hard to find too much positivity. But we’re going to have use that word again - character.
A stunning 12 minutes saw us reverse our fortunes and come out 3-4 winners thanks to Rhys Browne’s strike. I’d last gone to Dagenham away for that infamous 7-3 loss two and a half years earlier. Here we were just this short time later with almost three times as many fans there and coming out on top after showing we simply would not give up. It was symbolic of the journey but also massively gave hope for where Brennan was taking us.
It wasn’t firing all cylinders stuff straight away. Again, almost hard to recall now, but we went on to draw 4 successive games over the festive period and into the New Year. However, we weren’t losing. October 22nd at York would remain the last game we lost for some time.
January saw yet another goalkeeping episode. Despite the team’s form, Nick Hayes had never looked overly convincing as our number one. He was moved onto Southend and in came a loan goalkeeper from Cheltenham, Owen Evans. This transfer activity arguably overshadowed by the departure of talisman Nicke Kabamba. If ever a player epitomised the quality of Brennan’s recruitment, it had to be the number 9. A phenomenal two and a half seasons had earned him another crack at the league. There was disappointment but much well-wishing. What was clear was that Brennan was prepared for it. Lee Ndlovu was quickly recruited from Boreham Wood and took the 9 shirt immediately. Both proved to be incredibly shrewd business. Some might say, the difference.
Owen Evans kept 6 consecutive clean sheets in his first 6 league appearances. We won 4 of them; running riot 0-3 at Southend a particular highlight. When he did concede, we kept winning. Solihull were beaten 3-1, a few demons exercised and another smart looking signing, Dom Telford, amongst the goals.
It’s that time again folks - one of those moments. Perhaps the biggest of the lot. A Tuesday night game against York City. Not necessarily a title decider but one that could go some way to have an influence on it. York brought over a thousand. There were 3000 home fans for a midweek league game. A far cry from the 900 around against Altrincham a few months prior.
If you say you weren’t nervous before this one, you’re lying. For all the incredible stuff we were now witnessing, the fear of another big game freeze was significant. Yet it proved to be needless. Brennan answered any critics and more as his time were simply scintillating. A 3-1 win that could have been more. There were no nerves, just dominance. Authority was massively exerted and the title now lay in our hands. Whatever is yet to come in Brennan’s time at Barnet, he’ll do well to top the performance that night. Monumental.
Confidence breeds confidence. We were rolling now and it was a (slightly surreal) joy to watch. York proved to be the 2nd game of a 9 consecutive winning streak. We blew them and everyone else away.
Back-to-back 0-4 and 0-3 away wins at Rochdale then Oldham before beating Yeovil 5-0 at The Hive. Just what had this man crafted?
To go 12 points clear, another special and significant flash point. A deep into stoppage time goal from Lee Ndlovu earned a 1-0 victory over struggling Dagenham. The euphoria for that one. Wow. Just a week later, grinding out a 0-1 at Woking was up there with most animated we saw the manager in his post-match reaction during the run. He knew it was big. We knew it was big.
After a dogged 0-1 in terrible conditions at Altrincham and a solid 3-1 victory over Gateshead the talk was of when and not if. 25 games unbeaten. More than half a season.
It felt like it’d go on forever but we came unstuck on a horrible pitch at Braintree. Brennan not happy despite the lead still being comfortable. Standards unrelenting and the job needing finishing.
There proved time for a wobble. It seemed impossible to throw it away but York had pulled their socks up and had us in their sights. We would draw back-to-back games at The Hive. On Good Friday, they played before our draw with Eastleigh. I remember catching the end of the radio commentary of their trip to Gateshead. The BBC Radio York commentator asked, “are you watching, Dean Brennan?”
Character would be really tested on Easter Monday. Over 1000 Barnet fans descended on the South London suburb of Sutton. It proved to be a dramatic first half which ended with the scores level and Barnet lucky to still have Evans on the pitch. I’d love to know what Brennan said to them in that changing room at the break.
It had been a long season. Being nearly perfect for a good chunk of it would have taken a lot out of them. However, in that second 45 at Sutton, something was summoned from somewhere. Mark Shelton put us back in front before a goal elsewhere was celebrated with equal gusto. Oldham had equalised at York. Not long after this, Ade Oluwo powered home a fantastic header. 1-3. Utter scenes, none more so than in the Barnet dugout. They knew what this meant. We knew what it meant. Oldham couldn’t score a title winning goal for Barnet at York but we were now on the precipice.
There were no nerves going into the final home game against Aldershot. Brennan exuded a calm and focused presence. The big game hoodoo was a thing of the past. We were going to win the league and ultimately, the way we did it, was in a style befitting everything he’d put together that season. Aldershot were put to the sword 4-0 and Barnet were champions of the 5th tier for the 4th time.
Huge celebrations followed on the pitch and in and around the ground for some time to come. Everyone but Dean Brennan piled back to The Railway Tavern afterwards to celebrate. It was a shame he didn’t join to get the due adulation but you got the sense it was him stepping back and letting others have the limelight. For all his confidence and front-footedness, one would imagine that him reaching the Football League after working his way up the pyramid was an emotional moment.
There was time for a points record to be broken. For the first time ever, Barnet smashed the 100 point barrier with a final day win at Fylde taking the total to 102. This was even more impressive given Brennan had allowed the entire squad and staff to go out on the piss in Blackpool with the fans the night before. The FOMO still hurts from that one. This feel good interview to sign off the season epitomised the mood.
Stepping Up (2025-2026)
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the close season leading into our first in League 2 since 2018 was the number of signings. Brennan showed he wasn’t one for sentiment with much of the title winning squad dis-assembled, making way for new faces. Including 2 loan signings, by mid-August a total of 14 came through the door.
It would be fair to say, with hindsight, that this was an unusual case of some erroneous recruitment. 8 of the 14 didn’t make it to January either before being sold or never playing in the first team again. For the bright spots of Adam Senior and Nnamdi Ofoborh, there many that just didn’t work out. This Football League lark was to be a learning curve - but unsurprisingly, Dean Brennan is a fast learner.
After the high of the previous, magical campaign, the start to life in the fourth division was a shock to the system. Owen Evans’ signature had been secured on a permanent basis, announced as one of the final signings on the eve of pre-season. This delay in decision making from the Welshman attributed heavily by the manager to his glaring mistake on the opening day as he gifted the opener to Fleetwood Town in a 0-2 loss at The Hive.
It was goalkeeper controversy once more just days later. Ciaran Slicker was announced as arriving on loan from Ipswich and sure enough, Evans was out of the team. Except for a few cup appearances and deputising for a suspension, one of the most influential players in the title win was finished at Barnet. This sort of ruthless side to the manager isn’t always the easiest to watch play out. Could sometimes perhaps the level of public critique of individuals be toned down? It’s all a matter of opinion. It can be hard to watch or hear, but what you would have to say is no matter how strong a decision it looks, it rarely turns out he’s got it wrong. Zak Brunt going out the door a few weeks later was met with similar surprise and sadness. It was felt then that once you fall on the wrong side of Brennan, there’s no way back, but this was to prove not to be the case as the season developed.
The opening day had been a nightmare and it didn’t get initially any better. A poor showing at Bromley followed by a better contest but subsequent defeat at The Hive against Walsall. Played 3, Lost 3 - welcome to the big league.
Fears were growing that this was going to play out like many a Football League season in the 21st century had done prior to this. Struggle, toil and not the prettiest watch. Yet instead, we once again saw Brennan’s willingness to adapt, change and evolve to create success. For his perhaps stubborn and very firm exterior, there can be no doubt that this is a thoughtful individual who takes time to reflect during the more difficult moments.
Except for a catastrophic performance at The Hive against Shrewsbury in early September, we quickly became very hard to beat. Interestingly, three away wins secured before a Hive one. A comprehensive 3-0 victory over Grimsby felt like a real announcement of our arrival in the division. And as we moved into the autumn, things got progressively better.
After an excellent display to secure a 0-2 win on a first ever visit to Tranmere (a very memorable away day), we sat in the play off places in mid-October. A great recovery after a poor start and yet another illustration of the magnificent progress made under Brennan’s leadership thus far. A thoroughly sickening and unjust 0-1 stoppage time loss against Notts County in the following game denied momentum being built and perhaps stopped us really kicking on. We remained hard to beat but also found it hard to win. A period of being the league’s draw specialists kept us on a steady unbeaten run yet the lack of three points held us back from making any real waves in the first half of the season.
There were consecutive defeats in the run up to Christmas but otherwise we very much stayed in touch with the top 7 into the new year. Brennan was quick to remind of the progress but also, unapologetically ambitious in that he was clearly aiming for us landing in those spots come the season’s end. You don’t always have the perspective when it but the fact we were looking up pretty much from September onwards is no mean feat, based on how we’ve found the step up to League 2 in fairly recent memory.
A less happy footnote in the story of Brennan’s first season as a Football League manager came in the form of a nine-game touchline ban. Alleged to have made a comment in a game refereed by a female official, exactly what he did or didn’t say is still contested and unknown. Ultimately, whatever he did or didn’t come out with, he’d let his frustration get the better of him in his actions during a disappointing defeat to Shrewsbury. A very public example being made of him was a tough lesson to learn. Brennan has said many times he ‘talks with his hands’ and attributed things to being both Irish and old school. Whatever happened, it wasn’t a high point and his lack of dugout presence did seem to have an impact of a negative kind.
1 win in 6 games in a three-week spell into February dampened playoff hopes somewhat. A 4-1 defeat at Colchester United was especially disappointing. However, after this we saw a very clear willingness to change. It not being all over for a player when a falling out has occurred and the door being able to be re-opened. Callum Stead had been one of his finest examples of sharp recruitment since his 2024 arrival from Brackley Town. A raw talent that Brennan had helped shape into a fine Football League player. A contract dispute and his head being turned from outside had led to him not being involved since Boxing Day. Brennan had said, “he’s away from the group,” after a few weeks of speculation. However, on the back of the Colchester defeat, a “reset” was called for. Stead was back in from the cold, Critchlow back in the mix after a period of exile and we’d already seen Joe Kizzi make the most unlikely of returns. Attitude, application and thick skin required but if you have all of those, it turns out Brennan will never say never…
The reset initially worked. 6 points and two clean sheets. Somehow I’d missed in the chronology another superb example of recruitment in the January window. Kabongo Tshimanga had arrived after an indifferent spell at struggling Crawley. This on the back of Ndvlou’s surprise departure to Notts County. As clear example as, well, the year before when Ndlovu replaced Kabamba, of their clearly being a contingency plan in place due to the depth and thoroughness of recruitment.
After back-to-back wins, however, it was back-to-back defeats. For the renewed optimism a hard-fought win against Chesterfield had given everyone of closing in on the play offs, it was quickly taken away with consecutive defeats. As flat a performance as imaginable at Salford following by a hugely disappointing 1-2 defeat against relegation threatened Newport at The Hive. Even Brennan all but admitted after this that any hope of a top seven berth was good as gone. A last gasp 1-1 draw at Crawley on the Tuesday after stopped any sort of rot but 1 point from 9 looked to have left us too much to do.
The way we ended the 25/26 season from here perhaps gives as good an insight as anything in the four and a half years prior to the standards, demands and expectations of the Barnet manager.
Whilst many sides would have now been very much on the beach, our subsequent form had several re-checking their late May calendars. Of the 8 remaining games, Barnet won 7. In this time, we faced the top 4 and beat them all bar a Good Friday agonising draw with Bromley. Their 90+10 goal in the end proving the difference between making the play offs and not. The fact that 7 wins from 8 wasn’t enough showed what a mountain we’d had to climb but still felt incredibly unlucky. Away performances for the ages at both MK Dons and Notts County in front of serious Barnet travelling numbers a real reminder that even without the end of season we all wanted, the good times really were back at the football club.
An 8th place finish with 76 points - tying with the record number for not making the play offs. A truly remarkable effort from Brennan and team in their first Football League adventure.
Where next? (2026 - ?)
What’s been apparent from the word go is that Dean Brennan does not want to stand still. Whilst for many of us, another similar season in League 2 would probably feel a decent achievement, his hunger is very apparent. He wants more and he will push everyone around him to get success.
It’s perhaps remiss not to have mentioned the team around Brennan during this fairly constant ascent over the past five years. First working with the wily and experienced Dave Anderson before he left and was replaced with John ‘Tumble’ Dreyer. The older heads arguably helped him settle into the Barnet role before going in a different direction. Conor Smith, initially signed as a bit part player in 2022, has now been alongside the gaffer since as assistant since the summer of 2023. His fellow Irishman is still only 33 and after such tutelage could certainly be tipped for a bright managerial future himself. Throw in the analyst Danny Hutchins, first team coach since the title winning campaign Jerome Okimo and until very recently Jade Doran as physio. Not forgetting Kirk Rayment’s role and impact around the club. A strong and consistent backroom team no doubt helping the ship to be steady and another sign of the “togetherness” that I’ve somehow failed to mention much in this Brennan based odyssey.
A little like the summer of 2024, we’ve found ourselves going into the current season as title favourites. This really is something given the level of football we are playing at. The long-term Barnet fan in me found it a little ridiculous but when you look back over the Dean Brennan era and where come to, you have to say, why not?
Some key departures of more title winning heroes: Hartigan, Shelton, Stead and Glover have needed replacing but appear to have once again been found. A simply electric start to the new season leaves Barnet top of the league on the 5th anniversary of Brennan’s appointment.
To give how much of an achievement this is context, on the day Brennan was appointed as interim manager in 2021, Barnet were rooted to the foot of the National League. 2 points from 7 games, below Dover, Kings Lynn and Wealdstone. What’s followed since has been nothing short of a magical ride and it shows no signs of stopping. At the time of writing, following our game being postponed due to international call ups, we remain top of League 2 having played 7 games whilst everyone else has played 8. It’s early in the season, but these are special times continually being created by an undoubtedly very special Barnet manager.
However, the rest of this season pans out and whatever the future for Dean Brennan and Barnet holds, the last 5 years have been nothing short of incredible. On a personal note, it took quite a bit to swallow pride and return to watching games given my feelings towards the move to The Hive. The love for the club no doubt never went from within but with the timing coinciding with the start of the Brennan era, there’s no doubt he’s had a huge impact at getting that heart beating once more.
You’d have to say, it’s been a privilege being a Barnet fan over the past few years. Many like me have heard all the fabled, wonderful tales of the Barry Fry era and magic around that in the early 90s but were a generation too late. When you step back and look at the last five years, by no means am I saying this is the same, but in terms of a golden era this is as good as it’s got since then. Let’s see what’s next on the journey.
Thank you, Dean.
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