The return of the league season. In all honesty it doesn’t seem that long ago since the last one ended and with the gap between that end and the beginning of pre-season getting shorter maybe I’m right.
With the Isthmian League not yet underway, FA Cup action was but with a game planned on Sunday it was a toss up between a trip to The Hive or down the road to Worthing.
With a huge sense of optimism amongst Barnet fans I plumped for The Hive. Expectations compared with 12 months ago are much different given the 5th place finish and play-off entry last time out, Dean Brennan’s Bees are expected to be in or around the same position once again.
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Having spent a week in the sun on holiday arriving back on Friday night to dreary conditions that turned to rain on Saturday it certainly felt like the season was already months old and not in it’s infancy.
Arriving at The Hive were Hartlepool Utd, relegated from League Two and not long ago promoted from the National League they find themselves back again and noting the struggle ex-Football League clubs have in returning it could be a long wait.
There were debuts for Ade Oluwo, Zak Brunt, Ben Coker and Reece Hall-Johnson for the home side who were looking to hit their stride early amidst the wet conditions.
Pool were being allowed possession in and around their own area, but up against the press once moving forward towards, however with Anthony Mancini running things through midfield they had hope but the service into the front men was lacking.
The Bees took the lead on 22 mins, a free kick in from Dale Gorman was half volleyed goalwards by Harry Pritchard but an unclean connection saw the ball bounce out to Oluwo who scrambled home the opening goal of the season. The visitors should have been level almost immediately, Barnet carved open and only a superb double save from Laurie Walker kept the home side in front.
It should have been doubled on the half hour when Nicke Kabamba received a delightful cross from the left but his connection glanced the ball past the far post.
Barnet’s backline were still not being caused too many problems beyond that scare and almost again doubled their lead in first half stoppage time, Kabamba sent through by Brunt and although very wide of the penalty area only a finger tip save from Joel Dixon saved the visitors from going in two goals.
John Askey certainly had a few words to say at half time, Hartlepool coming out with intent early in the second half but found themselves two goals behind nine minutes in, Kabamba’s header adjudged by the assistant referee to have crossed the line despite Dixon’s efforts, Barnet in the ascendancy.
It got worse before it got better for the visitors with Danny Collinge stealing in at the far post on 66 minutes and the Bees looking seemingly out of reach and the points staying at The Hive.
But Pool did get one back on 82 minutes, a quick free kick and some switched off defending allowed Jake Hastie to burst through and slot past Walker for what looked like a consolation.
And that’s how it stayed until the ten minutes of stoppage time, yes you read that correctly, start planning for not leaving a game until 5.15 at this rate or midnight on a Tuesday evening.
Sloppy defending once again from the home side saw substitute Finley Potter drag down Hastie for a penalty, Walker with a superb save to deny the same player only for Josh Umerah to net from about the third rebound and set up a tense finish, Barnet however just about holding firm and getting off to a winning start.
Quite a bit to take from the game, ultimately the three points are all that counts and especially this early in the campaign you can’t argue with it. Certainly feel there is plenty to work upon however, the press was at times very effective and this is the way Dean wanted to play over the last two years but without the personnel to achieve it.
At times though, I felt we were too naïve, especially towards the end of the second half, we didn’t keep possession very well and the ball kept coming back, possibly no wonder in the end the penalty came.
I felt we coasted the game at 3-0 up instead of going on for a fourth and killing off the game, the subs as Dean alluded to didn’t affect the game, two were forced through injury and fatigue and the other to protect Gorman, that latter part really affecting the way we played onwards.
I’d like to see Idris Kanu take on the full back more, as much as he can be effective coming inside more often that not on Saturday he was bullied off the ball, once defenders work out how to play you it becomes easy, he’s effective going outside and taking people on, it needs more mixing up. That pressure that came our way after the first Hartlepool goal came from not keeping hold of the ball high up the pitch, it’s another point to improve upon.
Sometimes it’s hard to be critical, but standards are higher now, as the gaffer remarked in his interview ‘move with us or you move on’, that’s how it is if you want to progress and succeed.
Debuts were strong from all, not surprising to see one or two tire a little before the end, missing anything of pre-season puts you behind these days, tough month of six games should elevate that level.
The strength of the bench that saw Marvin Armstrong not even make the sixteen shows how far we are ahead now of those lean years, and the attendance a shade under 2000 with almost 1400 Bees fans is further improvement and showing that bring a club together with a team that can win games, people will return to watch.
A reminder though it’s a marathon of 46 games, nothing won this weekend but three points ticked off that end of April target, plenty more tests and challenges to come for all, it’s great to be back again.
