Barnet on the road, then. It used to be such a simple trip – a hop down the A1 or a short train ride to New Barnet. No more, however. Not since the Bees canned Underhill. The Hive, as most of us will know, is neither in Barnet and nor is it used for making honey. It’s the place to which we go, giving up the last few sane moments of our existence before the Christmas period smacks us like a wet trout around the mouth. You could have chosen the Algarve, Costa Brava or Benidorm – but no. You decided on the London Borough of Harrow.
Our first and only game at The Hive to date? One to forget in our books. Not theirs, we bet. Barnet probably rushed a DVD out in celebration. Two things still rankle about that visit. Not so much the fact we let Barnet end a six-game winless stretch, but letting Bondz N’Gala get on the scoresheet? Blimey O’Crikey! A feat that he failed to achieve in 28 outings for us was ticked off in just 48 minutes against us. Ho hum, no point dwelling on it, is there? Time to wipe that slate clean this weekend against a Bees side who aren’t doing too badly at all.
Barnet v Stevenage: Bees Out, A Town!
Last week, it was the team one place above us in the League Two table. This week, it’s a team that was – at that point – one place below. Blackpool rocked (snork!) us good and proper last weekend, but that’s our home form for you right now. Boro’ are back on the road and the travelling life has taken a liking to us. Five straight league wins away from the Lamex is a record we’re looking to both keep and extend. We call it now so you know who to blame if boobies go skywards on Saturday – a sixth puts us on the verge of tickling the record books.
That’s all an elephant at this point in time, however. Barnet are clearly forgetting themselves, being as high as they are in this little league of ours. In fact, the Bees – gaffererless since Martin Allen binned them off for non-league Eastleigh – are unbeaten in eight matches. You have to back two months and to mid-October for their last defeat – a 4-1 embarrassment at home to Exeter. You see – the old Barnet are still in there. It just needs someone to bring it out of them. And, sure, we might as well give ourselves that job while we’re in town, no?
Barnet v Stevenage: FIFA 17 Verdict
Not for the first time, FIFA 17 takes us into the weekend on a high. That could be because we’ve mastered the game engine. Or because, now and then, it has a soothsaying quality. An early goal from Henry Cowans put us on the right course, but the Bees kept us honest. Not until a lovely counter-attacking move got Michael Tonge on the scoresheet could we relax. And that we did. Too much. A sloppy, true-to-life piece of defending from a corner meant a nervy final eight minutes, but all you need to know is the final score. And it looks good to us.
BoroGuide’s Barnet club profile – it’ll get home before Chris Rea does…
