Ready for a second half push

Barnet set to challenge for the end of season run in

So then, 5th. Who had that in the summer sweepstake for the end of year expectation? Well certainly not me for that, I felt we were going to improve on last year but not to the extent we’ve seen so far.

Granted we’re only half way through and the wheels could fall off for any team in the National League at any point so you have to enjoy the ride, it’s a bastard of a league to get out of the right way, easy to get out the wrong way and there are a few who will be shocked at where they are currently.

Let’s take ourselves back a few months, twelve in fact. We were about to head to Boreham Wood as we will on Monday to kick off the New Year to face a side going very well and unbeaten at home. We came away with a 0-0, a game I really didn’t enjoy watching because all we did was match up and stop them.

On reflection to that if I remember rightly they hadn’t failed to score at home all season which meant no one had kept a clean sheet, of course the two go in tandem. We had some bad eggs last year including in that game and a point was pretty welcome.

Fast forward by six months and although we made some good signings in the summer there were reservations because fans of other clubs thought the players we were getting in some cases were ‘useless’ or ‘not good enough for the National League’. Quite frankly I don’t care what they did for someone else it’s what they do in black and amber/orange or purple.

But we know we’ve got a good bunch, a set of guys who are tight knit, play for each other and the staff and more importantly for us supporters. We’ve had some moments sure when Dean came under fire, we forget this is the highest level he’s managed at and over the course of the last three months we’ve evolved as has he and his coaching staff, adapted to different ways of playing.

We knew last year there were one or two gems in our squad, now we have enough to fill at least one hand if not a few more fingers of players that others will look at and it’s been a while bar Ephron Mason-Clark that scouts would have been flocking to see talent at The Hive.

Not surprisingly the crowds are rising again, Monday afternoon was the busiest I’ve seen Legends and the club shop, plus the tea hut in a very long while, people actually want to be there to watch the football, why, simply because we have a team worth supporting again, that ‘togetherness’ is becoming very evident day by day, week by week the club is building on foundations and not quicksand.

It's almost a little bit alien, something we’re not used to as Barnet fans and for those outside the club christ knows what they think, in less than six months from relegation fodder to potential play-off challengers. That’s no mean feat and not by accident either.

You can pick out lots from why it’s going the right way from Mel Gwinnett, brought in as goalkeeping coach but also the man on set pieces, crucial in more ways than one, experience in the dressing room from the likes of Connor Smith and Jerome Okimo, goals in Nicke Kabamba, Harry Pritchard who seems to be able to do just about everything, Idris Kanu appearing from nowhere to becoming a very influential player.

Marvin Armstrong, like Ryan De Havilland a year before, signed to play a huge role next season is excelling this season, again it’s not by accident is it. I spoke a few weeks ago about the need to tie Dean down to a new contract before the decision isn’t there to be made.

A few questioned why is it so important on the Only Barnet message board forum, citing Sam Beard who signed without a permanent manager in place. Indeed he did, but Sam was happy to be a professional footballer and at Barnet FC, he might be the exception, there might be others, but Dean and his staff are going after targets they know fit specifically into their mould.

Why would you sign not knowing if the guy who wants you to play for his team will be there in six months? A commitment to move maybe down the country or from west to east, if it’s not sorted soon we become a second or third choice for these players, we actually have players who want to come to Barnet FC, not have us as the penultimate or last choice destination, it’s a different ball game now.

It's all very well preparing for next season and doing it in a professional way which will be done, but unable to answer the question when asked ‘what’s your contract situation gaffer? Will you be here next season?’

Every week we pull out another result, eyes look in our direction, not just at the players but the staff too, the wonder if they can deliver the same at another club, it grows all the time. The way Tony Kleanthous needs to look at it is if we’re doing it now, what can we achieve if I do this and I do that? Where is the limit? Is there a limit?

We’re exceeding the expectation of many, maybe not everyone but certainly most, we’d be crazy to let this kind of position slide, one or two additions will not upset the apple cart, from what I’ve seen and know from speaking to the players they will relish the competition and spur them on to keep a starting place.

Darren Currie’s squad still have their WhatsApp group from 2019-20 and I believe that no one has left the chat, it’s not always buzzing but this is the closest we’ve come to set of players who are together, for me it’s only just beginning……

Have a fantastic New Year over the weekend and thank you very much for reading over the last few months, always plenty to write about, its why the blog’s here! If you have an idea or something you want to see talked about or interviewed, drop a line in the comments and we’ll see what happens.

Footnote: Just before I posted this up online, Uncle Tony delivered the striker in David Moyo on loan from Barrow until the end of the season. We had him in pre-season, waited and waited, his agent decided more money was better and here he is anyway!

Just a centre back to go and we’re set for an exciting second half of the season, no telling’s what this group can achieve, the target is there for them and enough so far to make a few sit up and take notice.