I say the same every single week, but it’s true. A draw against Oxford would seem rather acceptable for most teams in League 2, but in Barnet’s predicament, it simply is not enough due to the fact that Northampton were also unable to win their game at all but relegated Stockport County, and Lincoln lost at home to Cheltenham.
To be honest, on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon, Barnet performed 5 times better than the U’s did. Oxford at times were simply atrocious. The amount of times they just hoofed the ball up field randomly was just laughable. James Constable upfront for them had two attempts on target, and both of them found their way into the back of the net.
I like the goalkeeper Barnet have on loan from Chelsea, Sam Walker, mainly due to his huge kicks and enormous stature. But someone said something to me after Monday’s match. They asked me whether they have seen him actually make a save. And I took a minute to think about, and realised that actually, in the games that he has played, although we’ve got decent results, we’ve also conceded goals at the same time. Like at Gillingham on Saturday. At 1-1, Gillingham had the opportunity to take the lead from a free kick. Walker was totally wrong footed and the ball eventually came back off the post, and Barnet managed to go on to win the game. I just can’t recall a time that he has made a good save from a goal bound shot. He should have done much more with Constable’s first goal for Oxford on Monday. He got his hands to the ball, but still not enough.
I’m not in any way writing this in order to slag off Walker. I really like him. He brings something different to the side with his gigantic kicks and fast and aware distribution of the ball. I’m saying this as a complement to Barnet’s attackers. The two Mark’s, Byrne and Marshall were very good both on Saturday and on Monday. The only negative side to them at the moment is that it seems to take two of them to gather round the ball in order to take a successful corner of free kick. Izale McLeod meanwhile, seams to have remembered the meanings of the words ‘effort,’ and ‘run,’ involve doing. He was rewarded with the hat trick at Gillingham and he could have had four, if he wasn’t such a cocky idiot, trying to chip a penalty. But again, I am not going to dwell on that moment, no matter how angry it made me feel at the time. Also, our midfielders, especially Mark Hughes and Glen Southam, who have both been with the Bees throughout the mammoth journey that has been the 2010/2011 season, have come in to their own, and look like different players to the ones that played under Mark Stimson and Paul Fairclough respectively. In recent weeks the defence has also tightened up a fair bit, we’ve ‘only,’ lost one match since the rearranged Aldershot game back in the middle of March under Fairclough’s spell, and if it wasn’t for the likes of Joe Devera, Jordan Parkes and Daniel Leach, who has been like a new signing since his return from injury, then I believe that our fate may already have been sealed.
Going back to Monday’s match against Oxford, I must reiterate, that Oxford were probably the worst team that has visited Underhill all season. The Bees were so unlucky with the draw but we all know that he’d have climbed above both Northampton and Lincoln had we of won. We took the lead twice, just weren’t able to compete against Oxford’s physical, kick and run approach to football.
I will not be at Accrington Stanley on Saturday. Instead, I will be watching Oxford again, this time at the Kassam Stadium with their match against Lincoln. Not only will I have to watch Oxford, I will probably be the biggest U’s fan in the ground. A win for them against Lincoln, who have the second worst goal difference in the division, other that poor Stockport, as well as a Barnet win up in Lancashire; will see the Bees climb out of the drop zone.
I dread what I will feel like if Barnet were to indeed lose, whilst Northampton, Lincoln, Hereford, and possibly still Burton were all to win. It’s something I can’t bear to consider. Mind you, I don’t fancy the feeling in my stomach if it was all down to the final day of the season, at home to Port Vale. At least our battle with Grimsby Town last season didn’t even see the Bees enter the relegation zone, and that thankfully it was all rather ‘comfortable in the end!’
Our fate hasn’t been sealed yet, so let’s just prey and prey some more for two Barnet wins.
