Barnet's trip to Chelmsford on Saturday will be their first competitive meeting since 1990 but the two clubs have met many times, mostly when they were both Southern League clubs. The first meeting in the Southern League was in January 1966 in the 3rd round of the Southern League Cup when the two sides drew 4-4 at Underhill, Roger Figg scoring a hat trick and Tony Harding one. The Barnet team that day was; Barr, Warman, Voyce, Picking, Roach, King, Whyte, Eason, Harding, Figg, Finch. Chelmsford won the replay 1-0.
After Barnet won promotion to the Southern League Premier in 1966, the two clubs met for league points. Chelmsford won 3-1 at Underhill in 1966/67, Les Eason scoring and the match at New Writtle Srreet ended in a 2-2 draw. Future Barnet manager, Peter Shreeves played for Chelmsford. Both Barnet's goals were scored by Tony Turley.
In 1967/68, Figg scored twice in a 5-2 win at Underhill, with the other Barnet goals coming from Eason, Keith Searle and Peter Jenkins. Chelmsford won the return fixture 3-0. The following season, Chelmsford won 1-0 at Underhill and the return saw the teams draw 1- 1 with a goal from Billy Meadows. The two clubs also met in the 2nd round of the Southern League Cup, Eason and Colin Powell scoring in a 2-2 draw at Underhill and Chelmsford won the replay 2-1, Meadows scoring for Barnet.
In 1969/70, Chelmsford won 2-0 at home and the game at Underhill was drawn 1-1, Eason scoring for the Bees. In 1970/71, Lou Adams scored the only goal of the game at New Writtle Street, while the game at Underhill ended 1-1, Mike Carr scoring for Barnet. In 1971/72, both games were played over the Christmas/New Year period, Barnet winning 3-1 at Underhill through goals by Colin Flatt, Eason and Adams but the Essex club exacted revenge on New Years Day winning 5-2, Adams and Gerry Ward scoring for the Bees.
The following season, Chelmsford completed a league double over barnet, winning both games 2-1, Ian Fusedale scoring from the penalty spot at Underhill and Powell scoring at Chelmsford. Chelmsford were reigning Southern League Champions and Barnet, Southern League Cup holders and the two clubs met in a Challenge Championship match at New Writtle Street, Alan Davies scoring the only goal of the game for the Bees.
In 1973/74, Chelmsford won 1-0 at Underhill on New Years Day, but Barnet won away at Chelmsford just over a month later with new striker from St Albans, Dennis Francis scoring on his debut. Les Eason and Dave Bibby also scored in a 3-1 victory.
In 1974/75, Barnet gained a rare win that season under new manager, Gordon Ferry, running out 2-1 victors at Underhill with Ferry and Ben Embury scoring for the Bees. Chelmsford won the return fixture 3-1 (Billy Holmes scoring a penalty for the Bees ) as Barnet ended the season being relegated to Division One. That was the last time the two clubs met for league points as Chelmsford were themselves relegated in 1977, while Barnet were promoted back to the Premier Division the same year.
However, the two clubs met again in the Southern League Cup in August 1978 in the two legged first round. Barnet won the 1st leg 3-0 at Chelmsford with goals from Jimmy Greaves, Derek Brown and John Fairbrother and comfortably went through to the next round with a 6-2 win at Underhill, making the overall score 9-2. Fairbrother scored a hat trick and Greaves, Brown and Ian McKay also scoring. The barnet team that day was: Smith, Oliver, Lees, McCormack, Tapping, Price, Greaves, Townsend, Fairbrother (Bookman), Brown, McKay.
The first FA Cup meeting was back in November 1949 when Barnet were an Athenian League club and Chelmsford were in the Southern League and were a professional club. The two clubs met in the 4th qualifying round at Underhill and Chelmsford won comfortably by 6-2 with Dennis Mott and Bert Hawkes scoring for Barnet. The Barnet side that day was; Stevens, Gant, Hawkins, Steiner, Leek, Brunt, Haskow, Kelleher, Drury, Hawkes, Mott.
The two clubs last met in the 1st round of the FA Cup in 1990, Chelmsford gaining a very creditable 2-2 draw at Underhill with Gary Bull and Roger Willis scoring for Barnet. Willis and Andy Clarke scored in a 2-0 win for the Bees in the replay and the Bees' side that day was; Phillips, Poole, Howell, Bodley, Cooper, Stein, Turner, Durham, Willis, Bull, Clarke.
The first ever meeting between the two clubs was in December 1912 when both clubs were founder members of the new Athenian League. Barnet were known as Barnet & Alston FC then and won 6-2 at Underhill. Chelmsford were then known simply as Chelmsford FC.The following April at the New Writtle Street ground, Chelmsford won 2-1.
The following season, 1913/14, Chelmsford won 3-0 at home, but B&A won 2-0 at Underhill after the original game had been abandoned with B&A leading 2-1.
After the end of WW1, in 1919/20, Barnet, having dropped the & Alston part of their name, almost completed a league double over Chelmsford, Cox and Coombes scoring in a 2-1 away win and Ernie Pett and Harry King scoring the Barnet goals in a 2-2 draw at Underhill. In 1920/21 both matches ended goalless and in 1921/22, the game at New Writtles Street again ended goalless but Barnet won 5-1 at Underhill with Harding scoring a hat trick and there were also goals for Enderby and long serving Barnet defender, Walter Allen. Harding, by the way, was the father of Tony Harding who starred for Barnet in the1960's. Chelmsford failed to be re-elected at the end of the season and dropped into the Middlesex County League.
