Never Enough Time To Catch Your Breath

Goals galore as it often the case between the Bees and Daggers

I’ve not been to Dagenham for many a year. It’s actually one of those grounds closer for me to get to than The Hive and it is one I look out for when the fixtures are produced for that very reason.

But if I did them all then my paying blog wouldn’t be diverse enough to warrant others paying so sometimes it’s a ‘pick and choose carefully’ kind of situation.

A pleasantly warm afternoon was Saturday, a bit unexpected for mid-November but most welcomed all the same. Victoria Road hasn’t been a very happy hunting ground for Barnet in recent seasons, you know when you pick up one of those bogey sides that you just can’t shake off, the Daggers here have been one of them and to be fair almost similar for us at home too.

A strange set up to the segregation, home and away supporters in through the same turnstiles, but more about that later on. What was to transpire in the following 90 plus minutes was something out of a storybook scenario.

It was literally a case of settling into your seat and the first goal arrived. 23 seconds to be precise which was seven quicker than the opening goal I witnessed on Tuesday evening at Lewes!

A ball played over the top of Danny Collinge and Ryan Hall in whippet mode outpaced the centre half crossing for Josh Umerah to slot home neatly, the fastest of starts.

After that blindly quick foray from the home side they conceded within four minutes, a cross into the box was strangely punched clear by Elliott Justham instead of being caught, the ball dropping out of the air to Idris Kanu who side stepped his man and fired past the keeper for the equaliser.

An explosive start and a sense that wasn’t going to be the end of the scoring. As expected Barnet dominated the ball as they do most matches but once again the end product was a tad frustrating  going into the Daggers penalty area.

Another goal did duly arrive and it went to the home side again, Kanu trying to be too clever on the edge of his own box and losing the ball, Umerah able to cross for Romany Critchlow to tap home unmarked just after the half hour mark much to the delight of the home supporters right next to us, a half time lead for the hosts.

Worse was to follow two minutes into the second half, a ball lost cheaply over on the far side found it’s way forward but the block in the penalty area landed at the feet of Hill just outside box and he fizzed a peach of an effort past Nick Hayes for a 3-1 lead.

Now, at this point in time I had already remarked to Iain Botterill of Beespod fame who was sitting next to me that we would win 3-2 as the sides came out for the second half. I had to then refresh that to win 4-3! (Now if you don’t believe me text the great man and he will tell you so).

At that point we looked completely out of the game for good despite it being so early in the half. Zak Brunt had been hooked for Callum Stead and with the scoreline being as it was Ben Coker was replaced by Rhys Browne with Ryan Glover moving out to the left wing back role. What was to follow was truly remarkable and almost unbelievable in the eyes of those watching on from behind the goal the Bees were attacking.

After more probing football Bailey Hobson was bundled over inside the penalty area, 64 minutes gone and Nicke Kabamba slotted home from the spot to reduce the deficit.

Three minutes later Myles Kenlock was clipped in the penalty area and Kabamba smashed the ball past Justham from 12 yds out to level the scores, a scoreline a million miles away just fifteen minutes earlier.

The Bees came again, sensing there was a win here for them and on 76 minutes the comeback was complete, Rhys Browne creating a yard of space for himself and using the defender as a block for Justham’s sight, fired past the keeper who couldn’t get down quick enough, sheer delight and pandemonium in the away section, disbelief elsewhere in the stadium.

However, not the end of the drama! With Bees fans pleading for the final whistle Frank Vincent’s cross beat Hayes but not the far post and bar, Barnet hanging on having missed two glorious chances from Glover and Kabamba to make it 5-3 in the final ten minutes.

A really crazy afternoon of football, one I’ve not seen like it in a very long while to be fair. Once again individual errors cost two of the three goals, however what we saw on Saturday was the strength of the bench now injured players are returning. We probably haven’t seen that kind of level since the very early days of September and still two or three more to come back.

Browne was unplayable when he came on, the pockets he picked up everywhere no one seemed to want to track him anywhere on the pitch, it gave that edge and allowed Barnet to control the game perfectly from his introduction.

Bailey Hobson easily MOM. Just a superbly talented young footballer who wants the ball in difficult circumstances and makes it all look easy with his quick feet and drop of the shoulder.

Idris I felt was excellent at ball carrying and his defensive duties he doesn’t shirk at all, the inconsistency of that final ball into the box is the big achilles heel, to me that is the only thing holding him back playing a level or two higher.

Ade Oluwo was solid shackling Umerah who is a very difficult customer, Collinge certainly grew into the game and vital minutes in the bank for him, Nik Tavares back in the sixteen too and only needed for a few minutes at the end.

One thing to point out though which is forgotten week in week out, when that board goes up at the end of 45 or 90 minutes it is the MINIMUM amount of added time, if the official needs to he will play whatever is to be played out, wasting your breath bellowing away for a whistle to be blown.

Great to catch up with both Dean Brennan and Ben Strevens before kick-off, plenty to chew over with them and a lucky chance meeting for me in Strevs’ office with the ex-England manager Peter Taylor, a man I’ve long admired for years having watched him at Dartford when growing up, a pod might be in the offing there!

Good to have the company through the 90 with Beespod Iain, living in different ends of the country means a catch up is revered and sacred almost and always a pleasure to catch up with Lloyd Child as well.

Managed also to meet up with Phil Sensi, Zak Brunt’s sponsor when he was at Southend Utd and still keeps in touch with the Bees flair midfielder,  a tough afternoon for his own team away at Altrincham, it’s the sort of association with players you can’t touch at top levels unless you’ve been in the circle since the word go.

Final words on the segregation, probably the most bizarre I’ve seen for a long while. 500 odd Bees fans separated by the thinnest of cargo netting and nothing of note on the concrete concourse in front of the stand bar those plastic barriers anyone could blow over.

I have a feeling that might come back to bite them on the bum at some point in the future, seems a crazy situation to have there considering the amount of space they have for their own supporters.

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