Barnet Football Club

Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Coca Cola Football League Two. In March 2004 they were in one of the play off positions of the Football Conference but failed to gain promotion to Lea

Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Coca Cola Football League Two.

In March 2004 they were in one of the play off positions of the Football Conference but failed to gain promotion to League Two, the lowest flight of the Football League. In the 2004-05 season they won the Football Conference, to return to the Football League after an absence of four years. Before that they had been members of the Football League for ten years.

To find a flat or house to rent near Barnet FC, London contact the Black Katz West Hampstead office. Black Katz have flats and houses to rent near Barnet FC and across London. If you are a landlord wishing to rent out your property contact Black Katz.

Barnet's most eventful season was the 1992-93 season. They were on the verge of expulsion for failing to pay their players' wages as well as failing to meet a deadline for a £50,000 fine. In spite of these problems, Barnet won promotion to Division Two. But the Bees were unable to sustain themselves at this level and went down after one season with just five wins all season.Barry Fry was the manager who secured Barnet's promotion successes in the early 1990s. Subsequent managers of the club include Ray Clemence, Terry Bullivant, John Still and Tony Cottee. A number of Barnet players have gone on to represent Premiership clubs. They include Dougie Freedman, Marlon King, Andy Clarke, Linvoy Primus and Maik Taylor. Jimmy Greaves also played for the club before retiring. Barnet's home ground, Underhill Stadium, is also used by Arsenal F.C. Reserves. Barnet are also involved in an annual friendly fixture with Arsenal F.C. with the former benefitting from its gate receipts.

Recent Club history

The 2005-06 season started brightly, with Barnet leading League two after four games, but results started to slide soon after. A timely cash injection was secured with a League Cup trip to Manchester United in October. 5,000 fans made the trip up to the Theatre of Dreams, where Barnet lost 4-1, perhaps partly due to a controversial dismissal of goalkeeper Ross Flitney; the referee later apologised for the 2nd-minute red card. The new year saw a further slump in form for Barnet, with only 1 win in the first 12 games of 2006. Relegation was always a possibility but good end of season form kept the Bees up. 3 home wins and a dramatic 2-1 victory at already relegated Rushden and Diamonds - Barnet's first away win since August - left Barnet finishing the season 5 places and 5 points above the relegation zone, yet only 12 points out of the playoffs.

The 2006-07 season started poorly for Barnet, but a mid-season rally saw them finish 2006 in mid-table and the season in 14th place. A good run in the FA Cup also saw them reach the fourth round of that competition for the first time in their history, beating Championship side Colchester United 2-1 in the third round and Northampton Town 4-2 in the second round before losing 2-0 to Plymouth Argyle at home on 27 January.

2007-08 saw Barnet improve further as they finished 12th with 60 points.

2007-08 season

The 2007-08 season started poorly, with only a solitary point coming from matches in August, but on 1 September Barnet beat Bradford City 2-1, and that win was the catalyst to a 10-game unbeaten run in the League with six wins and four draws. Recent form has been less auspicious, however, seeing Barnet slump from play-off contention to flirting with relegation. Barnet finished 12th

In the FA Cup first round proper, Barnet upset League One team Gillingham, beating them 2-1 at Underhill. In the second round proper Barnet needed a replay to beat Burton Albion. They again needed a replay against Swindon Town in the third round proper, both matches finising 1-1. After a goalless extra time, Barnet won the game on penalties 2-0, after Swindon failed to score a single penalty. Barnet played Bristol Rovers in the fourth round proper, only the second time in their history they have made it this far in the competition, losing 1-0, with Jason Puncheon missing a penalty for the Bees.

In the League Cup, Barnet went out at the first attempt, losing 5-2 to Norwich City.

In the Football League Trophy, Barnet received a bye into the Second Round, where they got beaten by Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 at the Withdean Stadium.

2008-09 season - Fairclough departs

The 2008-09 season started even worse that the previous season had, with only one point from Barnet's first seven games. These games included heavy defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup and a 5-1 trouncing at Chester City where the players were made to stand and listen to the views of a small, yet angry group of travelling supporters, disgusted at the performance they had witnessed.[citation needed]

By late September, only three teams that had been docked points prior to the start of the season had lower league positions. Barnet finally got their first win of the season away at Grimsby where they won 1-0. The Bees won two of their next three games after the Grimsby win, including a thrilling 4-3 win at Rotherham United but then went on another massive winless run, amounting to thirteen games an all competitions. It was announced after the 3-0 home defeat to Aldershot Town on Boxing Day that Paul Fairclough would resign to take up a role as director and leave the first team duties to his assistant Ian Hendon.

Fairclough would take over one last game however, and it resulted in a 2-0 win against another relegation threatened side AFC Bournemouth. The win left Barnet twelve points clear of The Cherries, who occupied 23rd place as the new year approached.

Club crest and nickname

The clubs current crest was designed in the 1950s and contains the green hill of High Barnet and the red rose, white rose and crossed swords representing the 1471 Battle of Barnet, a pivotal battle in the Wars of the Roses.This Badge was designed by the chairman at the time Mr Sidney Robert Price.

Mr Sidney Robert Price has only recently been recognised as the man behind the Barnet Badge. A fact how ever well known by generations of Prices' from Sidney Robert Price down to Barry Price, James Price,James Price jnr,Jack Price and Harry Price.A part of Barnet Football Club history will live on forever with the Price Family. The club's nickname of "The Bees", reflected in their amber and black shirts, is likely to have come from the location of apiaries close to the Underhill ground in the early years of the 20th century.

Club vs. council

Despite success on the pitch, off it Barnet FC have struggled to improve their ground. A plan to move to Copthall Stadium in Mill Hill was blocked by a Government Planning Inspector and a proposed move to South Underhill has been quashed.

There have always been problems with the ground, Underhill, which is in need of modernisation. A controversial sale of the ground's freehold in 2002 to the Club by the London Borough of Barnet has failed to produce any changes to the stadium. Meanwhile, the council have publicly said they will do what they can to help the club but this help has never materialised; indeed, many KBA supporters consider the loss of the local council seat to the Conservative Party to have been detrimental to their cause. Attempts by the club to sort out the ground issue, either by making improvements to the current site or by finding a site elsewhere in the borough, have so far failed.

The Keep Barnet Alive (KBA) movement has been central to fighting Barnet FC's corner on this issue.

Recent negotiations with Barnet Council have now resulted in a new planning application to modernise the existing ground. This includes rebuilding both the north and south stands to comply with the League requirement of 2000 additional covered seats. After some modifications this application was passed by Barnet Council's planning committee in December 2007 and building work commenced on a new South Stand. The building work progressed at incredible speed and it took a month for the new stand to be built. Work also took place on a new North Stand, this involves a small, temporary, covered structure, just to the right of the North Terrace. Away fans will use this seating.

Rent a flat, house or apartment near Barnet FC with Black Katz.