The season is fast hurtling towards it’s end and in just over six weeks’ time it will be done for most and the 2023/24 season planning already underway for the few and possibly even the many.
For the rest there is plenty to play for whether that is a title, promotion, play-off’s or surviving a relegation fight or even a trophy. Saturday afternoon was spent back in the homeland of Kent at the Gallagher Stadium as Maidstone Utd faced Barnet with a place in the FA Trophy semi-final’s at stake.
Contrasting seasons for both so far, the Stones looking likely to return back to the National League South after just one season in the top division whilst the Bees have undergone a massive transformation in less than twelve months.
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On paper the result was a foregone conclusion but the Stones seemed to have reserved their best performances for this competition while Barnet are on a mixed kind of run at the moment.
A fresh, but occasionally sunny afternoon greeted the strong travelling Bee contingent and the opening impetus was with Barnet, but disrupted within five minutes, the loss of in-form striker Harry Smith to be replaced by the 17 goal top scorer Nicke Kabamba, not a bad replacement!
Balls into the box especially from set pieces seemed to be the achilles heel for the home side, but it wasn’t the visitors who took the early lead. 15 minutes in and Roarie Deacon was allowed a free run inside Sam Beard and with no challenge forthcoming he fired past Laurie Walker for the opening goal of the game.
The Bees responded and those balls into the box were something the Stones didn’t want to deal with, the leveller coming from a Sam Beard corner into the box and an unmarked Finley Potter heading home past Dan Barden.
Once again the same issue was the undoing of the home side on 38 minutes, another Beard corner headed towards goal by Potter was this time saved by Barden but David Moyo was on hand to tap home from two yards out to give Barnet the lead, the visitors full value for a half time lead.
It should however have been 3-1 to the visitors at half time, Kabamba robbing Barden of the ball on the edge of his box, the keeper lucky to get a handball decision in his favour, very much ball to hand, given by the assistant referee from the touchline, not the referee much closer to the action.
The second half wasn’t a great deal to shout about, Barnet didn’t get going all the way through and naively gave away a penalty early in, Sol Wanjau-Smith with a cheeky panenka to draw the sides level once again.
Stones did create some pressure but their set pieces into the box failed to trouble Walker, Barnet being extremely wasteful when they did get the ball going forward but didn’t offer a single shot on target through the second 45 to trouble Barden, sending the game into a penalty shoot-out for a semi-final place.
The penalties taken in front of the split home and away end, the first four dispatched into the net, the scores level, Wanjau-Smith of panenka fame hits the bar, advantage Barnet.
Ryan De Havilland nets to put the visitors in front, back come Maidstone again, Walker just unable to get enough on the ball to keep it out, we’re back level, Idris Kanu then slots home meaning Maidstone have to score.
Up steps Jack Barham, an ex-Bee with a non-fruitful spell at The Hive, given the ‘Barnet reject’ taunts as he walks to the spot, a wry smile back at the visiting fans, steps up and……….WALKER SAVES!
Cue the mad celebrations of fans and players alike as the Bees took themselves into the semi final draw, this written ahead of the draw on Monday afternoon, an afternoon to remember, the second half forgotten and once more the team defying belief almost.
It’s afternoons and celebrations like that that make the season worthwhile however near or far you travel to watch your team. This is the closest the Bees have been to Wembley since 1972 when they lost the final to Stafford Rangers, now one step away on 1st April.
Despite the sluggish second half show there were some good performances out there, notably Jordan Cropper straight into the side on loan from Grimsby Town, solid and a weapon of a long throw, Finley Potter doesn’t look 18 years old, assured, given a good battle against the Stones striker and now becoming a menace in the opposition box.
Nicke Kabamba looked hungry for his 85 minutes, the penalties from all were very assured, our last penalty shoot-out won us the Middlesex Senior Cup, it might not be our last.
However this season now pans out it’s been a breath of fresh air, results and not performances are more important at this business end of the season, can’t emphasise that enough, it’s not the way that you do it, its how you do it……….
