I think it was such a shame that Barnet’s F.A. Cup ambitions were pretty much ruined by one mans defensive error. If you haven’t had the chance to see it, the ball was going out for our throw-in, when Joe Devera thought it would be a good idea to try and chase the ball like dogs chase sticks. The only difference is, dogs hold onto sticks; Devera gave the ball to the attacker on the touchline who only had to take the ball into Barnet’s penalty area before scoring past Jake Cole.
At long last, Barnet fans have seen Izale McLeod in action. He only had about 10 minutes on the pitch against his former club, but he didn’t look too bad. My only reservation with him, is that he was wearing gloves. No other Barnet player was wearing gloves. In fact, I can’t recall any Charlton players wearing them. Now, I don’t mind players wearing gloves if there are four or five in one team wearing them, but as McLeod was the only one in those mittens, it seemed like he thought of himself to be better than the other players. But I’m not going to criticize the man on that aspect, as long as he plays well and proves his worth, I’m OK with him.
It was my first time at the Valley although Barnet did play them there a year ago in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy, but I was ill that night so didn’t attend. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the chips were outside the ground. I have been too and sampled the chips at many top stadiums, The Nou Camp, Old Trafford and Wembley to name just a few, and I guarantee you, the chips there were the best I’ve tasted in a long time. It was just what the doctor ordered on such a bitterly cold night in Greenwich.
Barnet showed what they were capable of on Tuesday night. They kept possession well, made plenty of chances which on another night would have been converted, and all round, with the exception of Devera’s astronomical error, the Bees looked very solid defensively.
All in all ,it wasn’t a bad night, both on it or off it, let’s just hope Barnet can bang a few goals in against Northampton on Saturday. Unfortunately, I won’t be at Underhill on Saturday, but I’m sure if we play like we did at Charlton, and like I’ve heard we played like against Torquay last Saturday, I think we have a very good chance of picking up 3 points against a team who have also had a difficult start to the season.
If, unlike me, you are a ‘proper fan’ and going to the match, try and enjoy the game!
