After all football was cancelled at the weekend it was great to get back to watching games again on Tuesday evening with a trip to The Hive to watch Barnet take on Dorking Wanderers.
The Dorking story is well publicised, rising from real grassroots football to the very top of the non-league game and now mixing it with some ex-Football League big boys.
Earlier this summer Dorking boss Marc White appeared on our Premier Non League Podcast (the PNLP) to tell the story and spent a great hour recalling various moments and how they got to this stage.
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Barnet are a work in progress despite an excellent start so far this season and prior to game were still sitting in the play-off places, Dean Brennan possibly exceeding expectations with the players in less than two months of the season.
Having spoken to Marc a couple of times before the game I knew Dorking were down to the bare bones of their squad, ravaged by injury and the boss knowing he needs to find some replacements soon to avoid getting sucked into those bottom four positions.
Coming off the back of a defeat at Aldershot and a postponed weekend match against Southend, Barnet were the brighter side in the opening fifteen minutes and should have either been in front or almost out of sight by that point.
Danny Collinge managed to slice the ball over the bar from six yards just three minutes in while four minutes later both Nicke Kabamba and Sean Shields couldn’t connect with the same ball clearly, easily mopped up by Wanderers keeper Dan Lincoln.
Dale Gorman was next to try his luck and while he met the volley sweetly, it fizzed wide of Lincoln’s goal and you got the sense it was either going to be a case of Barnet creating loads but not scoring or Wanderers finding the target once.
Harry Pritchard created his own chance after slaloming past a couple of defenders but again like Gorman his shot failed to test Lincoln and sailed over the bar.
The Bees did come to pay for those chances as Bobby-Joe Taylor was given too much space out wide and cut inside to send a cross into the box which eluded everyone and past the despairing dive of Laurie Walker to give the visitors the lead just after the half hour mark.
Ryan Seager almost had the ball in the back of the net to double Dorking’s lead but screwed his chance wide, flagged offside at the same time.
Further chances were there just before half time for Gorman and Pritchard to level the scores, the former seeing Lincoln tip the ball over the bar and the latter sending a rising shot off balance over the top.
With Dorking set to play on the counter the second half was ready for them to do just that as the Bees gambled a little to find an equaliser. The first chance for the visitors brought a wonderful save out of Walker four minutes into the half, Barnet’s need to push forward meant a few risks needed to be taken throughout the half.
Shields mazy run and shot almost brought the leveller just after the hour mark, Lincoln pulling off a magnificent save from the top corner. Changes by Dorking for players out on their feet tried to shore the game up as Barnet upped the tempo to force a goal, Ben Wynter getting more space inside the visitors half shot but again failed to test Lincoln as it flew over the bar.
Wanderers thought they had completely sealed the win with four minutes to play, but the assistant referee came to Barnet’s rescue with an offside flag. Two minutes later substitute Moussa Diarra headed the ball home for the Bees but the referee had already blown for a foul by the big centre-half.
A further handball call was also missed by the officials five minutes into stoppage time in the visitors penalty box as Dorking in the end hung on for a deserved three points and a clean sheet.
Mixed reactions to the result across social media both after the game and on Wednesday morning, Dorking and Marc I felt deserved some credit for not abandoning their attacking beliefs or playing the way they do with such a depleted squad, they stopped Barnet  especially in the first half and for one of the very few part time teams left in this division respect was in short supply.
I fully appreciate on paper Barnet should be beating Dorking and full time teams should over-run the part timers, but football doesn’t work like that. I don’t disagree the players gave it something, on another day chances hit the target and go in, the game is won 3-1, I’d be more worried if we weren’t creating any chances or Dan Lincoln saved everything thrown at him, we just didn’t test him enough.
A few players did alright, Pritchard and Walker, Collinge and Ryan De Havilland were a little rusty after three weeks out but some nice touches none the less, Gorman completely stifled by the Wanderers game plan and one or two quite off colour.
I don’t often mention the officials, believe they have a difficult enough job at times but some of them really don’t help themselves. This one was poor in his decision making, slow in communicating what was going on and missed out on three penalty shouts, three very good shouts.
He missed Collinge being manhandled over to the floor in the first half, missed Diarra’s arm actually being held by the defender before the kick was taken by Rob Hall which meant of course he’s going to foul him trying to release himself to get free in the box and the handball was as blatant as a day is long.
Couple that with the chances off target and not our day, but eight games in, 13 points on the board much better shape than I anticipated to be honest, no one has the given right to win all 46 games, have to work hard to win any game of football, we’re doing alright so far……..
